Entwined
by KaeSquared
Summary: One nite changes everything&now she must keep a secret that's been cut on to her body, but thats hard to do when he shows up. Entwined from that very nite, it hurts to be in his mere presence. But will his persistence turn her life around or break her? TG
1. She’s Dead

**EDIT (11/25/09):** This was formerly titled as Intertwined, but then I found out that there is a slight difference between intertwined and entwined. I'm the type of person that would sleep over such a minor detail, so I changed it. Oh and I'm never satisfied with summaries so if you see that it changed again, just know that it's cuz I'm picky about wording. Same story though. In short, **Entwined was previously titled as Intertwined.** Sorry in advance for any confusion.

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**Summary:** Gabriella's not the same girl she was when she meets Troy at the ski-lodge. That girl was murdered in the car crash that killed her mother. When Troy comes back into her life, it hurts more than anything she could ever inflict on herself. He's a reminder of the blinding light and the shattering of glass; all of it. Troy, who is convinced that she's still the same girl he met on New Years Eve, refuses to give up on her when he discovers her secret. For the first time in a long time, she begins to feel something more than the pain and it scares her.

**A/N:** Hello to all my faithful readers and those reading one of my stories for the first time! I feels like I haven't been on FanFic in forever. =/ Anyway, I'm excited about this story and I love writing it. This story is slightly based on Willow by Julia Hoban, except with my own twists. Just as a warning, Intertwined does revolve around the topic of self-injury. It's nothing too graphic, but some people are uncomfortable with the topic. Thanks for clicking on my story and I hope you enjoy it.

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_**  
April 5, 2010**_

"You're going to be late!" Adam calls up the stairs.

Gabriella rolls in her bed. She's been awake for awhile now, but she's been dreading this moment. Today is her first day at East High, her first day back to school in general. But she doesn't want to think about that right now so she pushes the sheets off her body and makes her way into the adjoining bathroom. She begins her routine of washing her face, then brushing her teeth and finally rolls her left sleeve up. She examines the damage and is careful to not reopen the wound. She gingerly rubs her skin with anti-bacterial soap and then rinses it off with hot water.

"Gabriella!" Adam warns her once again.

She shuts the water off and rushes back into her room. She thoughtlessly chooses a blue long-sleeved shirt and dark washed jeans. She takes down her hair from her messy ponytail and briefly brushes out the knots in her curly locks.

Adam sits at the table, reading the sports section of the newspaper when Gabriella enters the kitchen. He's in his early thirties and has a tall built. He wears his black hair combed to the side to match his business attire. His brown eyes look up to meet Gabriella's when he hears her footsteps. "Good morning! Gen fixed you some breakfast before she left this morning. It's a bit cold, do you want me to warm it up?" He had already set down his newspaper and was getting ready to stand.

"I've got it Adam, go back to your paper." Gabriella heats up the oatmeal and pours herself coffee. "Do you want more coffee?"

"No thanks." He hasn't picked up his newspaper, but instead sips on his coffee. "Are you excited about today?"

"Nervous is more like it."

"Don't be. Think of it as a fresh start." That was typical Adam, always looking to the bright side of things. Maybe that's why Gabriella enjoyed being in the presence of her brother-in-law. "Gen said that you should be at the front office by 7:30, so you've got 20 minutes before we leave, okay?"

Gabriella nodded at him as she took her oatmeal out of the microwave and leaned against the counter. Adam excused himself from the room, leaving Gabriella alone with her thoughts. She looks around the kitchen as she makes her way to the table to sit down and enjoy the meal her sister made for her. Despite the fact that Genevieve and Adam had opened their home up to her, she still doesn't feel like she belongs.

Because no matter what they do, what any of them do, the bottom line is that Gabriella's presence would always be a reminder of that cold, winter's day.

***  
***

Gabriella stares at the guy sitting across her. To call him 'gorgeous' would be an insult because he was much more than that. She's probably not the only one starring at him. But there is a big difference between Gabriella and the other observers in the room. The girls look at him with lustful and admiring eyes. The guys look at him with envy filling their veins, wishing that they were him. For Gabriella, it's none of those feelings. She looks at him and feels like she's suffocating. The room closes in on her. The sounds of glass crushing mixed with tire screeches and her mother's scream play in her ear.

_I've got to make it stop._

She stands up abruptly, pulling her bag over her shoulder. All eyes look up from their textbooks to see her walking up to the teacher's desk. She doesn't notice them because the images in her head won't stop.

Mrs. Jameson looks at her with pity, she obviously knows her story. She's been getting that look since Adam introduced her as Genevieve's sister in the main office. "Is something wrong, Gabriella?"

"I uhmm…was wondering if I could be excused to the restroom. It's uhmm...that time of the month." She includes the latter for added sympathy, not that she really needed to.

"Sure, by all means. Just sign out." She gestures to a corkboard by the door.

She nods gratefully and quickly scribbles her name, time and destination on the lined paper. In a matter of moments she finds herself alone in the halls, willing herself to not break into a run towards the bathroom.

_Why does he have to be in my class?  
__The day was going well.  
__Okay, not well, but alright._

Gabriella finally enters the bathroom and immediately locks herself in a stall. She leans against the closed door and rifles through her bag. She pulls out a make up bag, nearly dropping it on the floor from her hurried pace. Her fingers slide into the bag in search of the cold metal.

_Yes!_

She holds the make up bag in her left hand, knowing that it's purpose has not fully been served. The thin metal rests between her index finger and thumb as she uses her other fingers to pull up her left sleeve, her finger nails dragging over her marred skin.

The blade sinks into her skin once. Twice. Three times.

Her mind reels as she basks in the feeling, knowing that she can't stay in ther for too long. For Gabriella this is better than anything a doctor could ever prescribe. The images in her mind had stopped. The painful noises had stopped. All she could hear was the sound of her heartbeat slowing down.

She gingerly drops the blade into the make up bag and skillfully takes out a sterile wipe with one hand. She cleanses the red droplets off of her arm and discards the wipe into the sanitary box beside the toilet. The make up bag finds its way back into her bag, but not before supplying a large Band-Aid. She rips the thin paper packaging apart and removes the glossy backing. She is careful to place it so that it covers all three off her life savers.

_I wonder if I can switch out of this class and into a different science class. _Gabriella thinks as she reenters the classroom. She scribbles down the return time, shaving a minute or two off so it wouldn't look inconspicuous. Her classmates don't acknowledge her reappearance as they are too busy working individually, well, all except one.

"Okay, class, close your books. The majority of your last test scores were disgraceful." Mrs. Jameson captures everyone's attention. "Would someone like to help me pass out the papers?"

A perky redhead pops up from her seat and practically skips to the front of the room to retrieve the papers.

"Brittany is passing out the rubric for your next project that's due in two weeks." Collective groans fill the classroom. Mrs. Jameson rolls her eyes. "To make it a bit easier on you, you'll have a partner," She pauses and watches as friends exchange glances, "that I will assign." She smirks as the class groans again. "Before you start complaining, it's a simple project and it's purpose is to balance out your test scores. Instead of complaining, you guys should be thanking me."

The whole process makes Gabriella nervous. If she was jostled back into time to three months ago, then maybe she would be a bit more confident. Her old friends would of described her as loud and blunt. People were lured in by her sweet smile and kind heart. But it's different now and her people skills aren't in tip top shape. She anxiously waits for Mrs. Jameson to call out her name. Half the class has already been paired off. Much to her dismay, the guy sitting across from her has yet to be matched up.

"Gabriella Montez and," Mrs. Jameson pauses to scan the room, "Troy Bolton."

The brunette bites down on her lip. _Of course it is because the world is conspiring against me._ She thinks as she feels several pairs of eyes drilling into her. She knows that he's looking at her. The other pairs of eyes shooting daggers at her. Brittany glares at her as she shoves the packet onto Gabriella's desk.

_Great, like I needed another reason to be hated. _

The bell rings before she knows it, signaling the end of her first day. Gabriella quickly gathers her things and exit's the room before anyone could stop her; before _he_ could stop her.

"Gabriella!"

She knows that she has to talk to him eventually, but that moment was not now so she walks faster. Through the noisy halls, she faintly hears someone call his name. She takes this opportunity to rush to her locker.

Gabriella was making her way down the front steps when she heard his voice. It was huskier than she remembered, if that was even possible.

"Gabriella, wait!"

She takes a deep breath and turns around, not daring to look him in the face. The last time she did, it had proven to be catastrophic. She wonders if he remembers her because she certainly hasn't forgotten him.

"I'm Troy Bolton," he says in a friendly tone that tells her that he had no clue who she is.

_Of course he wouldn't remember me.  
__All we did was sing together._

"You're Gabriella Montez, right? My science partner?"

She nods, still not willing to look at his face. Over his shoulder, she notices that people are starring at her.

_I can't deal with this right now._

"I'm going to be late for work," she says bluntly. "Can we talk about our project tomorrow? Before class?"

"Yeah, sure thing," he says dejectedly. "See you tomorrow."

Gabriella gives him a quick nod and turns on her heel. She walks away, taking fast and long strides .

***  
***

"Gabriella!" a three-year-old calls out to her as she enters one of the play rooms.

She offers a small smile to the group of little kids who looked up from playing with their stuffed animals. Just a month after the accident, she began working at Dandy Daycare until closing at six. She wasn't ready for school just yet, but being around the innocent minds helped her cope. It was the only thing that didn't make her feel so destructive. Noelle, Genevieve's college roommate, owns the daycare and is one of the few people that doesn't look at her with pity.

"Hi Noelle, how are things today?"

"Hey Gabriella!" the petite Chinese woman greets. "Pretty quiet since you haven't been here full day," Noelle says as she helps Gabriella clean up the scattered toys. "I think some of the kids missed you."

"Trust me, I wasn't too thrilled to be away from them either. I forgot how odd high school life was."

"Ahhh..but those are the best years of your life. College sucks." Noelle smiles encouragingly. "Why don't you take the front desk today?"

"Are you sure? You've been with the kids all day.." Gabriella trails off, not wanting to sound to eager.

"Puh-lease! I've managed the daycare all by myself long before you came along," Noelle says with a playful smirk. "You think that you can catch up on the paperwork for me?"

"No problem." Gabriella says triumphantly as she exit's the playroom and walks down the hall. The foyer of the daycare was separated from the rest of the building by a L-shaped counter. She enters the small workspace behind the counter and immediately makes herself at home. After her little incident earlier in the day, she didn't feel up to chasing the children around. She was so focused on the computer screen in front of her that she didn't even hear the front door chime.

"Excuse me, I'm here to pick up Sydney."

_Shit! _She thinks as she struggles to control herself. "I need a photo ID, please." She manages to get out in a professional tone as she allows her hair to work as a curtain. She finds it ironic that she asks this of him when she's very aware of who he is. She barely looks up as she takes the ID from him and prints his name, the date and time on a sign out sheet. "Just sign on the last line," she says as she hands him the clipboard and his ID.

"Gabriella?" he asks in disbelief. "You work here?"

"For the past two months," she deadpans. "I'll get Sydney."

_Blue eyes obviously run in the family._

"How did I not see the resemblance before?" Gabriella asks the seven-month-old baby in her arms. Of course she saw the last name, but she didn't think anything of it. They couldn't be the only Boltons in east Albuquerque.

The baby looked up to her in amazement, reaching up to pull one of Gabriella's curls. She giggles at the women carrying her as the curl sprung back. Sydney claps her hands enthusiastically and does it again.

Gabriella skillfully opens the counter door with one hand as they enter the foyer to find Troy starring down at his phone. "Here she is." Sydney squirms as she is handed over to her big brother. Their arms brush against each other for a brief second and his skin seems to burn her through the blue cotton material.

"Thanks," he says with a smirk.

"No problem, " she deadpans as she makes an effort to quickly exit the room.

"Gabriella!" Noelle's voice rings out from the backroom. "Can you bring me the call list?!"

"Sure thing!" Gabriella calls as she closes the counter door behind her, thankful for the physical barrier she put between then. She rounds the corner of the counter and makes her way to the back work space. She snatches the small black book of the children's contact information and walks through the hallway, peeking through the various rooms for Noelle. "Here you go," she says as she hands the book to her boss who's sitting on the floor with one the children in her lap. "Awe, what's wrong with Monica?"

"She's starting get a fever, so I wanted to call her mom and make sure it's alright to give her Tylenol." Noelle informs her as she flips through the book. "Was that the welcoming bell I heard earlier?"

"Yeah, Sydney's older brother came to pick her up."

"I never knew that she had a brother."

"Neither did I."

Noelle finds the number and begins to dial it. "Can you bring Monica to the nap room and keep an ear out for her since it's near the front office?"

"Of course," Gabriella says as she bends down to pick up the yawning three-year-old from Noelle's arms. "C'mon sweetheart." Monica's head falls comfortably onto Gabriella's shoulder as she was pulled against Gabriella's small frame.

"Gabriella?" Monica's sweet voice says.

"Yes? What's wrong?"

"Me no feel good."

"So I've heard." Gabriella tells her as they approach the nap room. "Ms. Noelle is asking your parents if you can have medicine so you can feel better, alright?"

"Okay."

"You have the Minnie Mouse sleeping bad, right?" Gabriella asks as she scans the dim room illuminated only by a small lamp in the corner.

Monica nods into Gabriella's neck.

She walks by the rows of sleeping bags that lined the cushioned floor and comes to a stop in front of one with Minnie Mouse's silhouette gracing the front. She bends down and carefully pries the little girl off of her. "Here we are."

Monica wobbly stands up and slips into her sleeping bag. "Thank you," she whispers.

"Your welcome sweetie." Gabriella whispers back as she stands up and exit's the room. As she walks behind the counter she notices a figure leaning against it. "You're still here," she says shocked and slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, I figured that since I'm here, we can talk about the project."

"I really should get back to work. I've got paperwork to do," she says dismissively as she sits down in her seat.

_Just leave and let me be. _

"It'll just take a second." Troy pleads and if she was looking she'd see the hope in his eyes.

"Really, I can't right now," she snaps, her patience wearing thin. "Noelle's not paying me to sit around and talk about homework."

"Okay. Fine. See ya tomorrow, Ella," he says, but makes no effort to move.

Gabriella feels her throat tighten at the sound of her old nickname. The one she refuses to respond to since the night of the accident. She tells herself that she's just being paranoid. That he didn't just call her Ella because if he knew who she was then he would of said something earlier. Right? "Bye," she squeaks, turning around to face the computer screen.

"Seriously?" Troy asks in an amused tone as he looks down at his baby sister and then back to Gabriella. "You're just going to sit there and pretend like it never happened."

Gabriella tears her eyes away from the glowing screen and dares herself to look up at the man standing in front of her. She chickens out and instead watches Sydney play with a small plush monkey. "What are you talking about?" she asks, but she knows exactly where this is leading too.

"Ella, why didn't you tell me it was you?" He sounds happy to see her. "I can't believe you're here, Ella. Actually, what I can't believe is that I didn't recognize you. I mean your hair is different, but you're just as beautiful as I remember." Troy's cheeks turn red as he pauses and processes what he just admitted. He shakes his head, the grin never leaves his face. "So, did you and your mom move to be closer to your sister, Mrs. Moretti? I can't believe that my old English teacher is your sister! My mom's going to freak when she finds out. She's been trying to get in touch with your mom-"

"She's dead." Gabriella spits out bitterly and as if she could sense the vileness of the situation, Sydney begins to cry. "My mom died and Ella died right along with her. They're dead and it's my fault." The brunette pauses, watching his face pale as her words sink in. "I killed her. I killed them."

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Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Critique?  
Thanks for reading and I hope you stay tune for more!  
Much love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	2. It's My Fault

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N:** Hi again! Thanks for coming back for chapter two! Shout out to **DesperateDreams**, **hopelesslyromantic93**, and **Clembo29** Thanks again for your reviews, dears. It was hard to get this chapter just right, but it is necessary to explain Gabriella's family….or what's left of it.  
Enjoy! XD

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They're dead.  
_I killed her.  
__I killed them._

Her venomous words echo in her head. She feels disgusted as she stares at her own reflection in the mirror. All she sees is the paleness of his face and the dullness of her eyes. To her, the person in the mirror looks hollow; just like how she feels in the inside.

Gabriella is wiping off the fresh blood on her arm just as she hears the phone ring. She reflexively turns on the shower behind her, having a premonition of who it was.

"Gabriella!" Adam calls up the stairs. "Kelsi's on the phone for you!"

_Just like clock work._

"I'm in the shower!" She yells back as she double checks the bedroom lock before returning to administrate her wounds. The last thing she needed was to get an infection.

Kelsi Neilson was her best friend from West High, as well as her ex-co captain on the dance team. Gabriella hasn't spoken to Kelsi or any of her old friends since before winter break. It's not because of lack of trying on their parts. She just finds it easier, and better, that she doesn't.

After applying antiseptic to the angry red lines, Gabriella walks back into her bedroom. It's a fairly large room with a balcony that overlooked the spacious backyard. Adam, the ever pleasing brother-in-law, painted the walls marigold, her favorite color. She makes her way to the French doors that led to the fresh air. This was her favorite part of the house, where she could just be.

Ten minutes past with her just sitting outside and reflecting upon today's events. After she muttered those harsh words to Troy, she walked away. He didn't try to stop her as he watched her disappear into one of the daycare's rooms. As she gets up to turn off the shower, she thinks about what she would do if the roles were reversed.

_Run and get as far away as possible._

Gabriella changes out of her school attire and into jogging pants and a camisole with a sweatshirt pulled over it. She sets her blow-dryer on high and aims it into the open air.

_All part of the masquerade._

"Gabriella?" Genevieve says through the thin door. "Dinner's ready."

"Okay Gen, I'll be right out," she replies as she pulls her dark locks into a neat ponytail, before shutting off the blow-dryer.

Gabriella slowly makes her way to the kitchen where she hears the laughter of Genevieve and Adam. The laughter suddenly stops and she can only assume the happy couple is exchanging a sweet kiss.

_It shouldn't be like this._

Guilt overcomes her small five foot two frame as she peers around the corner to see Adam talking to Genevieve's baby bump. They had been married for three years and now they were expecting their first child. They shouldn't have to worry about raising a teenager or making ends meet for the finances. They should always be happy, like they were right this second.

The New Year wasn't suppose to start like it did. Gabriella and Maria were suppose to get on a flight back to Albuquerque. Next, Maria would operate on one of her patients and save their life. Gabriella would of probably found her way over at Kelsi's house where she would gush about the amazing guy she met at the ski lodge. They would analyze every move he made and then come to the conclusion that he was definitely into her. Kelsi would of stolen Gabriella's phone and attempted to call him, but Gabriella would then threaten to tell Mrs. Neilson about Kelsi secretly dating Jason Cross from the basketball team. The two high school juniors would of stared menacingly at each other before breaking into a fit of laughers. Sudden inspiration would hit and the two would end up creating a new routine to teach the rest of the girls on the Dance Team.

But instead, Gabriella is left standing here alone, feeling like a stranger in her new home. She wishes that she could undo everything about that trip if it meant that she wouldn't be where she was right now. She sucks in a breath as she dares herself to enter the kitchen, ruining the couples happiness.

"It smells great in here," Gabriella compliments as she walks into the kitchen, just as the couple breaks apart.

"Thanks," Genevieve says as she turns to the stove.

Adam looks at his sister in-law peculiarly. "Your hair is dry and you're wearing that of yours again sweatshirt. "

"Well that's the magic of a blow-dryer and I just get cold easily," she says with a fake smile and nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

"Maybe if you took of your sweater, you would see that it actually isn't cold." Adam teases as he pours fruit juice into two cups. "What do you want to drink?"

"It's fine Adam, I'll get it." Gabriella walks over to the dishwasher and grabs a clean glass from the rack. She then walks to sink and switches the water filter on to fill her glass. When she turns around, Adam and Genevieve are sitting at the table, waiting for her before starting. Adam's grinning like an idiot as he presses a hand to Genevieve's stomach.

Meal time was never something Gabriella looked forward to. There was always some sort of tension in the air, today was no exception. Again, it shouldn't be like this. There shouldn't be an invisible barrier between the only living Montez members.

Gabriella stared at the woman in front of her. The two couldn't be any more different than cat and dog. Genevieve Montez-Moretti was ten years older and shared the same pin straight hair as their father. Growing up in the Montez household had been difficult for the sisters because of the large age gap. It was pretty tolerable until Genevieve began attending West High School. What self-respecting student wanted to spend their free time babysitting their little sister? Especially one as academically driven as Genevieve. When Genevieve went off to college at University of Albuquerque, the distance between the sisters had shown to do some good. Perhaps the adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder was true.

It was the end of Genevieve's college career, she was 22 and Gabriella was 12. Genevieve had graduated with high marks just weeks before and was becoming quite serious with a slightly older guy named Adam Moretti. Gabriella was in that point in her life where she was maturing in more way than just becoming wiser. The Montez family resided in the West side of Albuquerque, New Mexico at the time. George Montez was an avid businessman who frequently ventured to Orlando, Florida for meetings and Maria was proud to say she was one of the few pediatric transplant surgeons in all of Albuquerque.

It had been raining hard one day, that was nothing new in what was supposedly the Sunshine State. George figured that he could make it because Floridian thunderstorms would usually blow over in five minutes. The roads were slippery and the windshield wipers did no justice. The car skidded and the family of four became a family of three. The death of the male figure had brought their family together. Genevieve and Gabriella connected in ways that they never had been before. Genevieve encouraged her little sister to be more outgoing than she ever was in school.

Gabriella still finds it surreal that in three months she was going to be aunt. She thinks back to a time when Genevieve could barely keep the family fish alive for more than a week. Now she would be responsible for another human being? But Genevieve has grown up a lot since then and she definitely isn't the same woman she was three months ago.

"How was your first day?" Genevieve asks as her sister sits down.

"Fine." Genevieve gives her a look that causes Gabriella to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "The teachers were really nice."

She nods in agreement and continues her interrogation, "Who do you have for an English teacher?"

"Mr. Williams."

"Mr. Williams?" Adam pauses from eating a sausage, "I had him my junior year too. He was such a pain in the ass."

"He's not that bad, I've met the man before in the teacher's lounge."

"That's because he's a colleague to you and not your teacher."

"What do you think about him?" Genevieve directs the question to Gabriella.

Gabriella shrugs nonchalantly and swallows her food. "He doesn't seem all that bad."

Adam doesn't back down on his argument though. "Well, just give it some time and then you'll be begging to switch out of his class."

Gabriella smiles weakly and then looks down at the garlic bread, eggplant parmesan and spaghetti in tomato sauce with Italian sausages. _Gen's in a good mood. _She thinks as takes a bite out of the baked eggplant. Then it occurs to her why the young couple was so happy. "Gen, didn't you have a doctor's appointment today?"

"Uh-huh. The doctor said that she was healthy and had a strong heartbeat."

Gabriella's ears perked up at her older sisters words. "She?"

Genevieve looked up from her food and glanced over at Adam, a smile growing on both of their faces. "Yeah, we found out that we're having a baby girl!" she says, not taking her eyes off of her husband.

Gabriella is suddenly flooded with several emotions as her mind drifts from reality to a memory that took place not too long ago. In fact, it was just a week before New Years.

_*FLASHBACK*_

_Gabriella was perched on the leather couch with a book in her hands. "What the fuck?!" she says out load, as her eyes scan the page again._

"_Ella! Language!" Maria scolded her daughter from the massage chair that sat in the corner of the Montez's living room._

"_Sorry Ma," she deadpans, not lifting her eyes from the book in front of her._

"_What's wrong sis?" a seven weeks pregnant Genevieve asks from her spot on the loveseat with Adam._

"_Nothing big Gen-Gen," Gabriella replies, using her childhood nickname for her sister. "It's just that the cousin of the main character in the book named her kid Earl."_

"_What's wrong with Earl?" Adam asks as he pulls his eyes away from the plasma screen in front of him and looks at his sister-in-law with curiosity._

"_She had a baby girl."_

"_What the fuck?!" Genevieve exclaims as she gets up and walks towards her sister, needing to see the book for herself._

"_Gen! Don't set a bad example for your sister!" Maria scolds once again, her eyes shut as she attempts to relax into the chair._

"_Sorry Ma," Genevieve deadpans as she rolls her eyes. _

"_Please tell me that you'll never name my little niece or nephew like that."_

"_Trust me, we won't," she tells her little sister as lays her head on Gabriella's lap and extends her long legs on the leather couch. "Actually, we've already got names picked out."_

_Gabriella discards the book in her hands onto the coffee table propping up her feet and stares down at her sister in disbelief. "And you didn't tell me!"_

"_Well, we're telling you now." Adam says as he flips through the channels._

_Gabriella sticks her tongue childishly out at her brother-in-law. "Whatevs. So what are they?"_

"_If it's a boy, Florence George Moretti. If it's-"_

"_Hold up," Gabriella interrupted, "I get that 'George' is because of dad, but where does 'Florence' come from?"_

"_Florence is the name given to the first born male in my family," Adam provides._

_Gabriella thinks about this for a minute and remembers that Adam is an only child. "But your name is Adam," she says as her eyebrows scrunch up._

"_Yes it is; Florence Adam Moretti," Adam says as he settles the television on the sports channel. _

"_I like it."_

"_Mom, if you like that then you'll love the name we chose for if it's a girl." Genevieve says with a smirk, now holding Gabriella's book in her hands._

"_Is it Gabriella?" Gabriella says with a playful smile._

"_Sorry, Ella. Maybe next time," Adam says sympathetically._

"_Fine," Gabriella replies with a dramatic eye roll, although she's not the slightest bit bothered._

"_Well, are you going to tell me this name that you claim I'll love?" Maria asks as she gets up from the massage chair and joins her daughters on the couch, placing Genevieve's legs on her lap._

_Adam turns around and smiles at the sight before him. He loves spending time with his family-in-law because of how close they were. "Well, Gen and I couldn't decide so we flipped a coin."_

"_You flipped a coin for my grandchild's name?" Maria says in an amused tone. _

"_Yup!" Adam says, a boyish grin gracing his face._

"_We couldn't decide!" Genevieve protests. "We couldn't decide if we wanted Adam's mom's name first or your name first. We figured that with the coin, it was a 50/50 shot."_

"_Very scientific Gen-Gen," Gabriella says while unsuccessfully holding back a laugh. _

_The older Montez daughter rolls her eyes and carelessly tosses Gabriella's book aside. "Anyway, it landed on heads. So if we have a girl, we're naming it Maria Ophelia Moretti."_

"_You do realize that her initials spell out 'mom', right?" Gabriella doesn't even bother to stop the laughter that was spilling out of he lips. _

_Genevieve's eyes widen as she realizes that her little sister was right. "Fuck!" she says in a low voice._

_Maria was too busy laughing to scold her daughter for her vulgar language._

_Genevieve gets off the couch with a huff and walks over to her husband. "C'mon Adam, Ella and mom can find their own way to the airport tomorrow at 3 a.m."_

_Adam chuckles at his wife and makes no effort to get up from his comfy position on the couch. "Chill, Gen. You've got to admit that it's pretty funny."_

"_My poor baby!" Genevieve exclaims as she dramatically collapses onto the couch beside her husband._

"_That's if it's a she." Adam gently reminds her as he watches the basketball replay on the screen._

"_I hope you fall on your ass when you hit the slopes." Genevieve says as she glares playfully at the youngest Montez._

"_Adam, you're my favorite now." Maria says as she looks disapprovingly at her two daughters. "You're the only one who hasn't cursed."_

"_Fuck yeah!" Adam suddenly exclaims as a player slam dunks._

_Maria rolls her eyes. "You know what? I disown all of you, except my namesake," she says with a smirk. She receives questioning glances from all three of the people around her. "I just a have feeling that it's going to be a girl."_

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

Gabriella's throat felt like it was closing up. "That's great! Congrats!" she says with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, which wasn't a lot. She pushes away her food and stands up. "I just remembered that I had a couple of more problems left to do for math."

Adam and Genevieve looked up at her in surprise.

"But you barely ate anything!" Adam protests as he gestures to the plate of food with only half the eggplant missing.

Gabriella was never really hungry anymore. For the two weeks that followed the accident, she wouldn't come down from her room. That, of course, had caused Gabriella to lose an immense amount of weight. Slowly she began to eat again, maybe a bite of this and a chunk of that. But in the end, eating had become just another frivolous task to her.

Genevieve looks at her with disapproving eyes. "Adam's right. C'mon Gabriella, finish your food. I'm sure that it can wait till after dinner."

_Shit! I just ruined their happy moment. Can't I do anything right?_ Gabriella thinks as she shakes her head. "The last set took me awhile. I'd rather do it now then well into the early morning. Gen, you of all people, should understand what it's like when you're determined to get work done." She adds the latter because she knows that Genevieve would sympathize.

Genevieve lets out a deep breath and nods. "Fine, but if you have time afterwards, just get your plate from the fridge."

"Alright," she says as she turns to leave.

When Gabriella reaches her room, she turns off all of the lights, except the one on her nightstand. She sits with her legs crossed on her bed and skillfully rolls her left sleeve up. Tonight's dinner replays in her head as she reaches into the nightstand's drawer and pulls out her razor. The metal was cold in her hand as she allows it to bite into her skin. Exhaustion takes over her body as she reaches over to shut off her lamp and curls up into a ball. Today's events have proven to be more than she can handle. The walls seem to close in on her as the dulling pain in her arm begins to lull her to sleep. She doesn't care that the crimson liquid could stain her cotton blouse or the white sheets. All that is running through her head is that her niece would never meet her namesake and her mother would never meet her granddaughter. Then the time will come when her niece will ask what happened to her grandmother and Gabriella will be forced to say:

"It's my fault."

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Thanks so much for reading!  
Reviews are greatly appreciated!  
Much love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	3. No Yes Sort of Yes No

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**  
A/N:** Hey! Thanks again to SassyBR and hopelesslyromantic93 for the reviews! Oh and thank you to those who have favorited this story based on what's posted so far. It means a lot to me. Enjoy this chapter and please stay tune for more! XD

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_**April 6, 2010**_

East High was pretty lenient when it came to lunch time. The upperclassman had the special privilege to eat lunch off campus, so the cafeteria was always crowded with those who didn't have any other choice, but to stay. There was also a quad for students that want to enjoy their lunch while soaking up some sun. Then there were students like Gabriella. Students that were quiet and needed some time away from the big crowds often found comfort in the library."Oh my God! My parents are so fucking annoying!""My mom's such a bitch!""I fail one test and I can't get them off my back. Why the hell do they need to hover?"

Gabriella lifts her eyes from her calculus textbook and glances around what should typically be a quiet library. All these miniscule complaints irritate Gabriella. She shuts her textbook and stands up abruptly, almost knocking her chair down. Several of the people surrounding her look up with confusion. Gabriella can hear the whispers and she's almost certain that their talking about her. Her head hangs low as she clutches her book to her chest and secures her messenger bag on her shoulder. She wanted, no, she needed to get out of there.

She walks aimlessly through the East High halls. She had only known her way from one class to the other. When to turn and at what speed she'd have to walk to get to her next class on time. So when she passed by a white metal door, she was immediately intrigued. It was unlike the classroom doors that were made of wood and contained a glass window. There was no embossed plaque beside it that identified it as a custodial or storage closest. The cold metal handle turned with ease and the door opened to reveal concrete stair steps. There weren't any KEEP OUT signs, but she bit on her bottom lip nervously as she gingerly made her way up the stairs.

Gabriella gasps as she is greeted by a gust of cool air. She immediately recognizes her surroundings as a rooftop, but it wasn't the typical rooftop. Various types of plants were scattered about. On her right, a series of wooden steps led to a platform that held a bench and more plants. She discards her messenger bag onto the bench and turns around, leaning against the metal railing. The midday sun filters through the screened roof held up by wooden beams and beats down on Gabriella as her eyes scan the picturesque view.

She thinks back to why she bolted out of the library. How is it fair that the other occupants in the library get to speak of their parents in such a vulgar manner, yet she would do anything if it meant that she could thank her mother one more time for all the things she's done? Oh that's right, life isn't fair. She takes several deep breaths and shakes out her tense hands. She makes her way back to the bench and rummages through her messenger bag for her makeup less makeup bag.

With a certain amount of ease, she pulls out the thin metal and makes her way back to the metal railing. She leans against it and sloppily shoves her sleeve to her elbow. She presses the blade against her skin, but doesn't move it. The thought alone calms her down as she visualizes it in her mind. She tries to not make cutting habit, out of fear that she'll become immune to its effects. If she didn't have it to save her, what _would_ save her? She adds a smidge of pressure, just enough for the tip of the blade of blade to sink into her skin.

"Ell-Gabriella?"

Gabriella looks up, startled by the husky voice. She quickly pulls her sleeve down and encases the blade in her hand. She can feel the sharp edge of the blade as it sinks into her skin.

"I shouldn't of come here," she thinks aloud as she walks back to the bench to pick up her bag. "Troy, will you please get out of my way?"

"Please stay," the basketball lover begged as he countered every effort she made to pass by him. "I highly doubt that you're going back to the library."

"Were you following me?" she asks, alarmed by his remark.

Troy stops right in front of her and raises a hand to rub the back of his neck. "No. Yes. Sort of. Yes. No."

Gabriella takes a deep breath and crosses her arms over her chest, giving the blade a quick squeeze. She dares herself to look at him, finding strength from the throbbing pain in her hand. She gives him a pointed look as she stares into his blue eyes for what feels like the first time.

Troy runs his hands over his face, as if that would rid his face of the embarrassment. "I was in the library, trying to get some work done. I was actually sitting at the table behind you. Anyway, you stood up so suddenly and I couldn't exactly see your face, so I just wanted to see if you are okay."

"Oh," was all she could say as she allowed herself to relax a bit.

Troy nods and sits down on the provided bench. "I'm sorry about yesterday," he says suddenly.

Gabriella, who was shuffling her feet uncomfortably in front of him, looked down at him with disbelief.

_He's apologizing?_

"I shouldn't of been so forward." He looks ashamed of himself. "So, anyway, I hope you can forgive."

She stood dumbfounded. Why would _she_ need to forgive _him_? Shouldn't she be the one apologizing?

"Maybe we can start over? Pretend that New Years Eve never happened?"

Gabriella shakes her head in attempts to rid her mind of the horrid memories that are surfacing. _I can't forget. _She thinks as squeezes the blade tighter. Her grip remains tense and she could feel the warm liquid seeping through the open wounds. Despite the fact they're on a rooftop and they're surrounded by dozens of plants providing oxygen, she finds herself gasping for air. Her vision is clouded by a set of invisible bright lights.

"Are you alright?" Troy's voice brings her out of her trance. He is standing directly in front of her and his blue eyes are filled with concern. His close proximity causes her to instinctively take a step backwards, stumbling slightly. "Careful," he says as he grips her by her upper arms to keep her from falling onto the metal railing. His hands slide down her arms and stop her wrists.

Just like before, his hands seem to burn through the material of her shirt. She keeps her eyes forward, but not exactly looking him in the eyes. Their close proximity allows her to take whiff of his musky cologne. For a brief moment, Gabriella allows herself to think about if the situation were different and if anyone were here, they might see a young couple sharing an intimate moment. But those thoughts vanish as soon as she feels his fingers run over her bandaged wrist.

"I got a go," she says as she struggles to pull away.

His grip is firm, even as she roughly pulls away. His hands slide further down her arms so that they rest over her clenched hands. With a final tug, she is a free, but so is her secret.

Gabriella takes a deep breath and a step back as she examines what just happened. Her palms are exposed for the world to see. For _Troy_ to see. She looks up at him expectantly.

"You're hand's bleeding," he deadpans as he carefully takes her hand in his. "This looks pretty bad."

She nods, waiting for his real reaction. _Maybe he just doesn't get it. _She thinks as he continues to stare at him as he studies her hand.

"We should probably get you to the nurse."

_He thinks that it's it was some sort of accident._

She struggles to control her breathing. "No, it's fine. I just need to rinse it of in the bathroom."

He nods and gently drops her hand. "See you in sixth then."

As Gabriella turns to leave, she keeps her eyes pointing downward. It's impossible for her to fully relax because she knows that she isn't out in the clear. Her dark eyes sweep furiously over the wooden deck. _It couldn't of gone far._ She thinks as she stealthily turns to look back. In her peripheral vision, she can see that it's right in front of him. Her bag slips off her shoulder and she quickly dives towards it, not caring about how crazy she seems at this moment.

"What the hell is this?" Troy bends at the waist and in seconds, it's in his hands instead of hers. He turns the blade over in his calloused hands and examines it from every angle. He shifts his focus from the metal covered in clotted blood to the gorgeous brunette kneeling a few inches away from his basketball shoes. His eyes held a question that he had trouble voicing.

She pushes herself off the wooden deck and focuses on steadying her breathing. Her mutilated left hand curls into a fist and she takes a step forward, placing her right hand on his chest. "I can explain," she says calmly.

Troy doesn't acknowledge that he heard her. He takes her hand off his chest and flips it over. Without hesitation, he shoves the sleeve up to reveal about 20 cuts that were in different stages of healing. After getting over the initial shock, he was repulsed. He all but shoves her arm away and just stares at her for a moment.

Gabriella watches as Troy turns on his heels and basically runs out of there. She doesn't feel the least bit offended as she turns around to watch him take the stairs two at a time. Her breathing finally steadies as she turns back around and reaches for her bag. Despite the fact that her secret was out, she's feeling rather calm. Someone was in on her secret and he obviously didn't want anything to do with her. And why would be even care? They weren't friends and she didn't have any friends at East High. Even if he had the urge to tell someone that actually cared, he couldn't. Just as she was about to take out one of her sterile wipes, she freezes as something occurs to her.

_He could tell Gen._

She drops everything and stands up. The pace of her heartbeat quickens as she finds herself running out of the rooftop as fast as she can. She pushes the metal door open and stops to look for any sign of Troy. She spots him at the end of the corridor, talking to an older figure. She takes quick, wide strides in order to reach him before he walks away. As she gets closer to the talking pair, she realizes that it's the principal.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Montez," Mr. Matsui greets as he notices her approach.

"Hello, Mr. Matsui," She nods in response and plasters a fake smile on her face. She turns her attention to Troy, who is determined to look anywhere but at her.

"How do you like East High so far?"

"It's great."

Mr. Matsui looks thrilled, obviously not catching the hint of sarcasm lacing her voice. He looks over at the young man starring at the ground. "Troy." The basketball captain looks up. "How about showing Ms. Montez some Wildcat hospitality and show her around?"

"Of course, Mr. Matsui." Troy grits his teeth in attempts to hide how annoyed he was about the situation. A smirk suddenly graces his lips. "The sophomores' main classes are right around the corner. Maybe we can stop by Mrs. Moretti's class?"

Mr. Matsui smiles in approval and turns to speak to Gabriella, who immediately wipes the look of fear that disrupts her beautiful features. "I'm sure your sister would enjoy that." He bids them a goodbye and walks away.

Troy immediately begins walking in the opposite direction of the older gentleman.

The brunette beauty stares at Troy's figure and then down at her blood stained hand. She relaxes her fist so that her palm is flat. She spreads her fingers out as far as they can go and feels the clotted cut rip open.

_I can do this._

Gabriella takes a deep breath and curls her fingers so that her stubby fingernails press into the base of her palm. She takes off sprinting after Troy, who is casually walking and is so lost in thought that he doesn't even acknowledge that she has caught up with him. "Please don't do this," she pleads to the floor because she can't bare to look at him directly. "Please, please don't do this."

She repeats her pleas over and over again, but it's no use because he continues to ignores her. She lifts her eyes from the waxed tiles and looks down the hall where she spots Genevieve's classroom three doors down. Having no other options left, she grips his lean forearm with her right hand and plants her feet in the ground. "Forget that you even saw me on the roof." Her efforts are futile as he just pulls her with him, her hand sliding down his arm so that it grips his hand. She gives up on resisting and allows him to drag her with him.

Troy and Gabriella finally come to a halt in front of Genevieve's classroom. He poises the hand that's not holding the brunette's into a fist so that he could knock on the door. His fist freezes right before coming into contact with the glass pane.

Gabriella peers through the glass and sees that Genevieve is situated at her desk in front of the room, talking on the phone. She notices that Troy is frozen in his spot and she can feel the tension in his hand. She takes his hesitation as a sign for her to intervene. "Please, don't do this. It will destroy Gen."

"Better than you killing yourself," he mutters just before rapping on the door with two snaps of his wrist.

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I hate _begging_, but please review. This story has less reviews than my first full length story, which was so horribly written. So either my writing skills have regressed or this is just a crappy story. I'm really hopping it's neither, but if it is let me know. Seriously.  
Thanks for reading!  
Much love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	4. What I Just Did

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban. Nor do I own Edward Cullen; frankly, I have no desire to.

**11/23:** Hey! Thank you again to **SassyBR** and the anonymous reviewer **pumpkinking5** for the feedback! Okay, I would of posted this sooner, but I got caught up in writing a oneshot. =P Anywho, here's chapter four. Enjoy!  
_  
**to pumpkinking5:** _You're so sweet! Thank you for the great feedback, it's really encouraging and helpful. I'm ecstatic that you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you keep reading. Thanks for taking the time to review! XD

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His words seemed to resonate in the empty halls consisting of only them. She pales from both his words and the fact that her older sister is now approaching the door with a grin on her face. Genevieve opens the door and looks questioningly at the two teens. She notes that their fingers are interlaced and she raises an eyebrow while smirking. "I'm on the phone with a parent, but we're just about to finish. So, if you two don't mind waiting..."

Troy merely nods as Genevieve eases the door shut. He walks backwards until he hit's the wall and slides down it, dragging Gabriella down with him. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"You think that I'd…that I am suicidal?" she asks as she stares at the closed door.

"Aren't you?" he retorts as he stretches his legs in front of him.

She rolls her eyes at his assumption. "If I wanted to kill myself, then I would of done it already."

"I'm sorry, but are you trying to convince me not to tell your sister or are you giving me more reasons to tell her? Because, to me, it sounded like if it came down to it you wouldn't hesitate."

"That's not what I meant!" she screeches and lets out a groan of frustration. "Look, I have no desire of ending my life, that's not my game."

He scoffs. "Then what is your game? Seeing how many times you can cut yourself before you get an infection? Or is it watching the blood ooze out from a self-inflicted cut?"

"Not that I expect you to understand, but I don't do it to draw blood. I do my best to make sure they don't get infected and I always make sure that I never cut too many times in one area, to minimize blood loss. "

"That doesn't make it any better," he counters softly. "Ms. Moretti has a right to know about what's going on with you."

Gabriella can feel his eyes boring into her, but she refuses to look at him. "Ms. Moretti is pregnant though," she states simply.

"Yeah, I got that," he replies with an eye roll. "She's a tiny woman and her stomach is huge, that typically means that said person's pregnant."

"If you tell Gen, then she'll worry," she deadpans.

"Good because she should be worried," he replies, not seeing where she was getting at.

Gabriella shakes her head. "Do I have to spell it out for you? My sister is five months pregnant! She's suppose to avoid stressful situation and by telling her, you're creating a stressful situation. God, if she has a miscarriage and it's _my_ fault, then I'd loose my sister even more than I already have."

"You're not going to lose your sister over this, no matter what happens."

"You can't promise me that," she says dismissively as her eyes flutter shut and she leans her head back against the wall. "Please, just don't tell my sister," she pleads one more time.

"I'm sorry, but I have to. It's the right thing too do."

"Screw this righteous attitude. Nothing good can come out of Genevieve knowing." A line has been cross and she's through with playing nice. "Just forget that you even saw me up there. Pretend that nothing ever happened."

Troy turns to look at her. "How the fuck am I suppose to forget that you cut yourself? That you do it over and over again? That you carry around a fucking blade with you at school so you can sneak away and cut? And of all places, your hand!"

"That was an accident!"

He scoffs at her and reaches for her left arm, then forces her fingers to uncurl. "Of course, because when you squeeze a sharp object it doesn't cut you," he spits out sarcastically.

Gabriella emits a groan of frustration "God, I really can't explain it right now, but all I know is that if you tell Genevieve about what you saw on the rooftop then…"

"Then what? You'll kill yourself?"

By now, she's immune to his blunt words and gathers enough courage to finally look at him. She forces the horrid images that begin to reappear out of her head and attempts to focus on him. She notices that his normally bright eyes are now a stormy shade of dark blue. "Get it through your thick skull that I'm not out to kill myself. And if the only reason you're doing this is because you think that I'll stop, then you might as well walk away now."

Neither of the two were aware of how intimate of a position they were in. Anyone could see that there was something going on between the pair by the way that they were pressed up against each other, making it hard to tell where Troy ended and Gabriella started. Her left hand was still intertwined with his right hand and rested at the junction of their thighs. His other hand held hers protectively as it rested just above his knee. But it was they way he looked at her that really signaled the connection between the two. It was a look of concern that hinted something more than friendship. This, of course, was obvious to Genevieve as she peered through the glass pane.

"Hey guys!" Genevieve's perky voice startles them both and causes them to look up at the older woman. "Come on in!" Genevieve holds the door wide open. Her smile falters slightly as she saw that they instantly sever all physical attachment from each other. Her smile returns though as she realizes that it was just so they could stand up. She watches as one of her favorite students from last year held out his hand to help her little sister up and on to her two feet.

The brunette looks at Genevieve with critiquing eyes. Her older sister is actually smiling at her, something that rarely happens now a days. She reverts her attention back to Troy, who looks lost in his thoughts and the only indication of his actual presence is the tight clasp of his hand on hers.

"So," Genevieve prompted with a genuine smile gracing her lips, "what can I help you two with?"

"I forgot," Gabriella quickly fibs and begins edging back out the door.

The basketball captain remained anchored to his position on the floor, thus holding her back.

"Are you sure?" she asks as she turns to face the other person in the room.

Troy shifts uncomfortably on his feet as he sneaks a quick glance at the pleading figure beside him. He lets out a discreet deep breath and directs his attention to his old English teacher. "Yeah, Ella and I just had a disagreement, but we sorted it out." The words slipped from his lips without a second thought.

It barely registered in her mind that he used her old nickname, seeing as she was too busy studying her older sister's reaction. She watches as Genevieve's eyes grow wide in shock before briefly meeting hers, silently questioning her. She tears her eyes away from her sister's and looks up at Troy. Her sister's stare soon follows, causing Troy to once again shuffle his feet nervously.

Genevieve clears her thought after getting over the initial shock. She walks over to the front of her desks and leans against it, gesturing a hand towards the desks in front of her. "Mind telling me what your disagreement was about?" she asks as the two teens walk over to one of the desks in front of hers.

Troy automatically hops onto the tabletop while Gabriella remains stiff at his side. If he was going to lie to one of his favorite teachers of all time, he was at least going to do it while being comfortable. "It was nothing big. I offered to take Ella out Friday night and show her around town."

The two sisters shift their attention to the basketball captain. One stands gaping at him and her brown eyes the size of saucers, while the other smiles brightly.

Genevieve pointedly raises an eyebrow at her sister and smirks slightly. "So, what was there to disagree about?"

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriella snapped out of her trance in time to cut him off. "I said that I couldn't because I had to work at the daycare after school and I promised Noelle that I would clean up."

"But when we were waiting outside your classroom, I finally convinced her that it was a good idea." Troy says before Gabriella could say anything further. "If that's alright with you?"

"Of course!" Genevieve practically yells. "I think it's a great idea. I haven't had a chance to show her around since she transferred." She looks down almost timidly as she says the later sentence. "Anyway, shouldn't you two be in class?"

"Nope, we both have lunch now."

Genevieve nods at Troy's response before turning to look at her sister. "Gabriella, please tell me that you actually ate lunch."

The petite brunette resists the urge to roll her eyes at her older sister's condescending tone. "Yes, I ate some pizza," she lied, avoiding her sister's gaze. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we should probably get back to our backpacks that we left in the library."

Genevieve nods as she walks them to the door. "I'll see you at home, Gabriella. Nice to see you again, Troy."

"You too, Mrs. Moretti." Troy says, waving awkwardly before leading a brooding Gabriella out of the room.

"Why the hell did you tell her that?!" Gabriella finally explodes once they were a great distance away from her sister's classroom. "You could of said anything, but that. Do you even realize what you just did?"

"What I just did was save your ass. You know, you can at least _pretend_ to be grateful," he fired back, annoyance evident in his tone.

The brunette is at a lost for words, so she doesn't say anything. She is forever indebted to him for not telling Genevieve, but she's also angry at him. The way she sees it, Troy has complete and utter control of the situation. He built up false hope for Genevieve, making her that she was getting better. The smile that graced her older sister's lips hinted that she was under the impression that Gabriella was moving on with her life. Then Troy came up with that ridiculous lie that secured her speculations. She doesn't want to disappoint her sister anymore than she already has. Genevieve doesn't deserve it because she has been nothing but good to her. To top it all off, Gabriella is at Troy's whim. Whatever he chooses to do with his new found knowledge, will affect her forever.

"Why couldn't you just walk away and never look back?" she says lowly as they come to a stop in front of the white metal door.

Troy takes a deep breath as he turns the medal handle and holds the door open for her. "Because you can't expect me, or anyone else for that matter, to not care," he whispers in the same voice as he follows her up the concrete stairs. "Anyone with a heart could never do that."

"Well, I don't _need_ you to care." She snaps at him, irritated by how difficult he's making it. "What I _need _you to do is to leave me alone and to forget that you."

"Fine," he says curtly as he trudges up the wooden steps that lead to the deck with the bench. "What's this?" he asks as he picks up a white package by her discarded bag. "Sterile Wipes: Saline Solution," he reads off the packaging. "This is so fucked up," he mutters as he pulls out one of the wipes. "Come here," he deadpans and motions for her to come forward. He holds the back of her hand securely as he runs the moist wipe over her hand, folding it over each time the white sheet became too tainted with the crimson blood.

Gabriella doesn't protest because quite frankly, she doesn't have the energy to do so. The day's events have left her too exhausted to argue with him anymore. Once he's done with cleaning her hand, she bends down to retrieve a large Band-Aid from her makeup bag on the ground. She struggles to open the paper packaging with one hand and allows him to get it from her. She watches as he rips the paper apart and removes the glossy backing from the sticky adhesive.

Troy smoothes the Band-Aid of her left palm and applies enough pressure to ensure that it stuck. He retrieves another sterile wipe to clean his hands of her blood. He discards all the evidence of this afternoons events in a nearby trash, before collapsing on the provided bench. He rubs his calloused hands over his face and then runs one through his silky locks.

After returning all of her belongings to her bag, she timidly mimics his actions. The pair slip into a silence as thick as wool. They sit a foot apart from each other. She sits with her eyes trained on the floor and so does he. Every now and then he sneaks a glance at her and she pretends that she doesn't notice. Neither one dares to cut through the uncomfortable silence because, for now, there's nothing left to say.

"Yeah, so that's what happened at work today. Crazy stuff. Anyway, congrats Gabriella!"

Gabriella looks up from picking at her grilled chicken and lentils with rice. "What?"

Genevieve scowls at her husband as she drops her fork onto her plate. Adam lets out a yelp, giving Gabriella the impression that he was just discretely kicked.

"I told you not to say anything!" Genevieve scolds as she picks her fork up.

"You did?"

She rolls her eyes at her husband's stupidity. "Yes I did. I remember specifically instructing you not to mention it because, well, it's just not something I think she needed to know."

Gabriella's eyebrows furrow and she sends her legal guardians a questioning look. "What's going on?"

Adam smirks as he spears a piece of chicken onto his fork. "Troy Bolton called." He stuffs the meat into his mouth and chases it down with rice and lentils.

The petite brunette looks stunned by this new information. Her palms begin to moisten and her heartbeat quickens in pace. She can't stop her hands from shaking so she set her fork down and clamps them together. Had the gorgeous basketball captain changed his mind? Did he decide to tell after all? She shakes her head at the idea.

_But they're smiling!_

"Really?" she asks and mentally curses herself for the word coming out an octave or two higher than normal. She clears her throat and opens her mouth to speak again. "I mean…he did?"

Genevieve and Adam nod their heads in conformation as they continued eating, both clearly amused by the teen's reaction.

"What did he say?" She plays it off like it's no big deal, but she can't help fidgeting with her hands.

"Oh, he was just asking about your work hours," he says nonchalantly.

"He could of asked me in Chemistry," she says more to herself than to them. After the incident on the roof, Troy and Gabriella parted ways. When she had arrived to her last class of the day, he seemed indifferent. He didn't say anything to her, nor did he acknowledge her presence. Even though that was what she requested for him to do, it still hurt.

"So you're into jocks? I would of pegged you as one of those chicks into those quiet-mysterious-always-brooding types. Like Edward Cullen! Wait. Unless Troy is like that. Then your attraction to him would make sense. I guess he could be like Edward."

Genevieve cocks her head to the side and stares at her husband. "Seriously?"

"What? It's a completely valid observation. "

"No it's not. She's not antisocial and awkward like Bella. You're forgetting that she was a pretty athletic Knight."

"Uhgg..don't mention those damn Knights in my house."

"Hey!" Genevieve and Gabriella exclaimed simultaneously. Their eyes meet from across the table and they burst out into wide grins.

"Babe, you're forgetting that you're out numbered by Knights here," Genevieve reminded him, referring to the fact that she is a West High alumna.

"Nu-uh! Gabi's a Wildcat now!"

"Sorry, Adam. Once a Knight always a Knight."

"Got that right sis," Genevieve agrees with a cheeky smile.

"What's you're little boyfriend going to say when he finds out he's dating a Knight?"

"Troy's not my boyfriend!" she blurts out. She mixes some of her lentils with her rice as she tries to hide the fact that she's blushing.

Adam exchanges a knowing glance with Genevieve. "Who said I was talking about Bolton?"

"Awe, Gabi! You're blushing!" Genevieve jeers as she takes another bite of her chicken.

"He's a good kid; I approve."

Gabriella rolls her eyes and looks up to see her brother-in-law smirking. "I'm so glad," she says sarcastically. "Your food's getting cold, Adam."

"It's okay. If my food getting cold is the price I have to pay for teasing you, then it's all worth it."

As Gabriella engages into a normal conversation with her sister, she can't help but feel happy. The afternoon's events never cross her mind. To her it feels like when she would visit the young couple. Gabriella would sometimes come over for dinner and 9 out of 10 times, there would be a Knights versus Wildcats discussion. Adam would represent his fellow Wildcats, while Genevieve and Gabriella would list all the reasons why West High was the better school. The trio broke out into a fit of laugher and continue in their light conversation. This is what it was like before the accident.

After dinner, Gabriella slips into her room - which was only illuminated by her bedside lamp - and eases the door shut behind her. She quickly walks over to her bed and just collapses onto it, not even bothering to get under the covers. It is only now that she's in the comfort in her room that she realizes that for the first time in a very long time, a tension-free dinner was held in the Moretti household. Her entire day plays like a film inside of her eyelids as she snuggles into the bed. Happiness, fear, confusion, edginess, and contentment were all the emotions she never expected to feel today. Whoever said that the best things in life were unexpected, obviously didn't foresee the tragedy that is Gabriella Montez.

* * *

I love Adam. Don't you? =P Okay, from this point on, it focuses less on the cutting and more on her other issues. Oh and keep an eye out for my oneshot/twoshot. Thanks for reading!  
_Reviews? Please?  
_Much love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	5. Means Anything to You

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **Hey! Thanks again to **Clembo29,** **pumpkinking5** and **.lov3** for the reviews. Here's chapter 5! I would of posted it earlier, but the document uploader doesn't seem to really like me. Anywho.....Enjoy!

_**to pumpkinking5:** _I'm really glad that you're really loving the story so far. Troy cleaning her cuts was my favorite part. In a really simple way, it shows how much he cares. Thanks so much for the encouraging review!

_

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_

_April 8, 2010_

A day has passed since the rooftop incident. Troy had been avoiding Gabriella like the plague. Frankly, she didn't have the courage to speak to him either. So imagine her surprise when a beautiful, bubbly blonde came waltzing up to her with a special note before lunch.

"Gabriella?"

The brunette turned away from her locker to see a model-like woman in front of her. "Yes?" she asks carefully.

"I'm Sharpay Evans," she says sweetly as she offers her hand. "I believe that we have the same English class."

"Fourth period? Mr. Williams?"

Sharpay nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! I sit in the back, so you probably never noticed me. I mean, you always have your head down unless Williams calls on you."

_She noticed me?_

Gabriella shifts uncomfortably in front of the blonde, feeling intimidated by the confidence that radiated off of her. She feels confused as to why the blonde was suddenly coming up to talk to her now. Nobody has yet to approach her since she started East High. Well, besides Troy, of course. Gabriella thinks that the other students know her story. They know that she's a murderer and they're afraid of her. Not because they think she would kill them too, but that she's crazy. She examines Sharpay in her white denim skirt, pink polo shirt and matching pink heels with her hair perfectly curled. Why would this girl with the ambiance of the stereotypical all-American girl be talking to a nobody like her? _Maybe she feel's sorry for me?_

"Anyway," Sharpay says casually, "I was wondering if I could borrow your notes from yesterday's class. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday so I missed out."

_Oh. That's why._

Gabriella nods slowly and turns back to her . She pulls a purple spiral notebook from the top shelf and turns back to the blonde. "It's dated so you should have no problem finding the notes," she says as she hands over the notebook. "Is there anything else?" she asks, not meaning to sound rude, but wanting to retreat to the library.

"I have a note for you," she says as she opens up her shoulder bag and pulls out a folded sheet of white paper. She hands it over to Gabriella and smiles. "It's from Troy. He asked me to give it to you."

Gabriella is shocked as she looks down at the folded paper. "Thanks."

"No thank you, for the notes," she says gratefully. "I'll ask Troy to give them back to you in Chemistry."

"That's fine. Thanks." Gabriella expects the blonde to walk away now, but she hasn't. "Is there anything else?"

"Do you like Troy?"

"E-excuse me?" she stutters in reply, shocked by the bluntness of the question.

"You see, you have Chem with two my friends; one is Troy and the other one is Chad. You know Chad, right?" Gabriella shakes her head in response. "He has a big, fluffy afro." Her mouth forms an 'o', causing Sharpay to laugh. "Yeah, he's pretty hard to miss. Anyway, Chad was taunting Troy this morning. He claims that Troy hasn't been able to keep his eyes of you."

"I-"

"Sharpay! There you are!"

The blonde waves to someone behind Gabriella. "Here I am," she jokes.

"I was waiting for you by your locker and you never showed up." A tall brunette with chocolate colored skin says as she comes into earshot.

"Tay! Where are your manners?"

"Shar's right for once," She sticks her tongue out at the blonde before turning to Gabriella with a sweet smile. "Hi! I don't think we've met. I'm Taylor McKessie."

"Gabriella Montez," she says as she shakes Taylor's outstretched hand.

Taylor's dark eyes widen and she turns to Sharpay, who precedes to nod. "Damn. The guys were right, she is hot."

"Thank you?" Gabriella says, reminding them that she can hear them.

Sharpay and Taylor turn back to Gabriella, red tinting both of their cheeks. "Sorry, just speaking the truth."

"We're straight. We promise," Sharpay adds for extra measure.

"Alright.." She trails off, unsure of what to say next.

"So Gabriella, do you want to eat lunch with us?"

"Tomorrow?" Taylor adds quickly to Sharpay's question.

"Tomorrow?" The blonde directs her question to her friend. "Why tomorrow? What's wrong with today?"

"Shar, today we have a meeting with the team. The girls are waiting for us in the gym."

"Damn team," Sharpay mutters under her breath. She then turns to the petite brunette. "So you'll eat lunch with us tomorrow?"

"Well I-"

"I'm not taking 'no' for answer. You're eating lunch with us, even if I have to drag you by the pretty hairs on your head."

"Blondie's not kidding. She may seem pretty weak, but she's actually pretty strong."

"Thanks Tay," she says proudly. "Oh and I also expect that we finish our conversation from earlier."

_Seriously? I thought she had forgotten about that._

"What were you guys talking about earlier?"

"How Gabriella likes Troy."

"I don-"

Taylor squeals suddenly. "You two would totally be cute together."

"You know what this means, right?"

"Yes! He's finally over that one chic he met over winter break."

_What?! He told them about me?_

"I can't believe that he called her twice a week for a month."

"No, what I can't believe is that she never called him back."

_He called me weekly? He must of thought I was a total bitch. They must think that I'm a bitch for doing that to their friend._

"Hey, what time is it?" Gabriella asks in hopes of diverting their attention.

Taylor reaches into the back pocket of her denim jeans to pull out her phone. "It's- shit Shar it's 10:38! We're almost ten minutes late for the meeting!"

"Oh well. Then we better get going," she says calmly. "Tay and I will meet you at your locker before lunch."

"Tootles!" Sharpay flips her blond hair over her shoulder and walks away, her pink heels clicking loudly against the floor.

"It was nice meeting you, Gabriella," Taylor says sweetly and runs in her black flats after her friend.

_Kelsi would like them. They both seem really nice, but do I have to eat lunch with them? I mean, they are Troy's friends. Won't he be eating lunch with them as well? _

The brunette turns to her locker, pulling out her Calculus and AP Chemistry binder. She shuts her locker and makes sure that it locks, not that there was anything valuable in there. The halls were empty by now, seeing as a third of the school's population was at lunch while the others were in class. Gabriella looks down at the folded paper in her mutilated palm. Curiosity gets the best of her as she carefully unfolds the paper and is met with the sight of unfamiliar, blocky handwriting.

Meet me at the rooftop during lunch.-Troy

Gabriella sighs as she crumbles up the sheet of paper in her hand. Despite the fact that she has no desire to confront him, she at least owes it to him for not telling Genevieve.

_No library for me today._

***

***

The scientific method is used to ask and answer scientific question. A question must be asked. Research must be done. Guesses, scientifically known as hypothesis, are made. Experiments are carried out. Then, after completing all those steps, you can come to a conclusion. If Gabriella had been paying attention, she might of realized that she was partaking in a subtler form of the scientific method.

She deliberately walks slowly to the rooftop entrance, contemplating her decision with each step she takes. Its not too late to turn around and pretend that the blonde never came waltzing up to her. As she turns the corner and the white door come to view, halfway down the hall, she seriously considers walking away. At least that way, the awkward confrontation would be prolonged. A feeling of anxiety courses through her body as she languidly turns the metal handle. She takes several deep breaths as she makes her way up the concrete stairs. Halfway up the stairwell, she freezes as she grips onto the metal railing.

_What if he changed his mind? And he just wanted to give me the heads up?_

A feeling of anxiety surges through her from head to toe. She finds herself hyperventilating to the point where she must lower herself to the steps because the pain in her chest was too much. Her heart pounds wildly in her chest, her fingers are tingling and her palms are beginning to sweat. To say that she was panicking would be an understatement. Her breathing is so loud that she doesn't hear the hurried footsteps resonating in the stairwell along with her sharp intakes of breath. She looks up from the ground when she feels a hand on the small of her back.

Troy crouches down beside her and offers a brown paper bag. "I could hear your breathing from the top of the steps." He gently rubs her back in a circular motion in an effort to help ease the pain. "Try to relax and focus on one thing," he instructs. "It'll make breathing easier."

She breathes into the paper bag and watches it inflate and deflate with each gasp. Gabriella takes his advice and focuses on the feel of his hand on her back. Normally, she'd pull away from any means of physical contact. So what's so different about now? Perhaps it's the way his hand ghosts over her skin through her cotton blouse . Or, possibly, it's just the sound of his calm voice.

It takes several minutes, but Gabriella's panic attack is finally over. She fumbles with the crinkled brown paper bag as she folds it, pinching at its edges until it forms a perfect square. Gabriella is embarrassed that he caught her, once again, in such a weak state. From the corner of her eye, she can see that Troy is now standing and extending a hand to help her up. She shakes her head timidly and grips the metal railing to hoist herself up. She languidly follows him up the rest of the steps.

"Are you allergic to peanuts or strawberries?"

She's taken aback by his blunt question as she follows his lead and sits down on the provided bench. "No," she says simply as she wrings her hand.

"I feel bad that I pulled you up here during your lunch period and I'm not much of a cook," Troy begins as he takes out a second sandwich. "I hope you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

She glances at the saran wrapped sandwich he placed beside her and then back at her hands. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry," she says truthfully, unknowingly setting Troy's experiment into action.

Troy, the conductor of the experiment, asks his question. "Eating disorder?"

"What?" she asks, silently wondering if she heard him correctly.

"Your sister made a big deal about you eating lunch yesterday and I know that you blatantly lied to her because I know for a fact that you were in the library for the whole period. "He looks down bashfully at his own sandwich. "And I read somewhere that SI is sometimes linked to eating disorders. "

"SI?"

"Self-Injury: intentionally hurting one's body in a way that causes damaged tissues, or marks, that last for more than a few minutes. You know it as that thing you do where you slice open your skin with something that's meant to open tape on boxes?"

Gabriella's mouth forms an 'o' and she takes a side-glance at Troy. He obviously has done his research to better acquaint himself with the topic of self-injury, which makes her feel somewhat intimidated. "I don't have an eating disorder."

"Prove it." He looks at her incredulously and slides the sandwich closer to her. "Because right now, I can't help but hypothesize that you do."

"Troy, what is this really about?"

"Eat the sandwich, then I'll tell you."

"Fine," she says as she picks up the sandwich and peels back the plastic wrapping. Truthfully, she loves peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, but something about the way he orders her to eat it, makes her guilty pleasure seem unappetizing. Knowing that she won't get anything out of him until she listens to him, she takes a bite of the sandwich and slowly chews, enjoying the pleasant taste.

"Good," he says in a satisfied tone. "Now, about your problem."

Gabriella quickly swallows and raises an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me? I don't have a problem."

"What would call it then? Your hobby?"

She stands abruptly, slipping the sandwich back into its wrapping and tossing it to him. "I don't want to have this conversation with you."

Troy stands up, his tall and muscular frame towering over her petite one. "That's too fucking bad because you don't always get what you want," he spits out harshly and grips her wrist as she begins to walk away. "You can't just waltz back into my life and screw with my head. I didn't tell your sister or your brother-in-law, so the least you can do is sit down and talk to me. If you expect me to keep my promise, then I expect you to keep some promises of your own."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks and she's reminded that he has complete control. She sighs in defeat and walks back to the bench, firmly tugging her wrist out of his grip. She discards her bag beside her feet and crosses her arms across her chest. She feels his eyes on her as her own are trained on the floor.

"You're not eating," he deadpans and waves the sandwich in front of her face.

Irritably, she snatches the sandwich from him and peels back the saran wrap. She makes a production of taking a big bite and swallowing. "Happy?"

"Nope, not until every last crumb is making its way down your esophagus."

Gabriella's patience for his was wearing increasingly thin. She quickly eats the remainder of the sandwich in large bites. When she's done, Gabriella rolls the saran wrap into a ball and chucks it at him. "There!"

Troy just shakes his head in amusement as the plastic ricochets off his broad shoulder. He extends his water bottle to her. "You're not a germaphobe, are you?"

"You don't have mono, do you?" she quips as she accepts the water, glancing shyly at him through her thick lashes.

"Clever." He chuckles ever so softly.

At first she thinks that he's laughing at her remark, but then she realize that he's starring at her with a small smile. "What?"

"You have jelly on the side of your mouth." Before she lifts a hand to her mouth, he reaches a hand over to wipe it. He cups her cheek and swipes the jelly away with the pad of his thumb. "Better."

Gabriella can feel his breath against her face. She closes her eyes for a brief second and she's shoved into the not so distant past; back to when they first kissed after meeting. She suddenly feels sick and so she pulls away. One hand flies to her mouth while the other clutches her stomach.

"Oh c'mon. My sandwich couldn't of been that terrible," he jokes. "Hey, are you okay?" he sounds genuinely concerned.

She can taste the bile rise into her mouth and her eyes scan the roof top for a trash can. She spots one at the other end of the bench and quickly gets up to rush over it. She hunches over the black cylinder that went up to her waist. She feels her hair being lifted from the sides of her face and a gentle hand on her back. She makes a gagging noise and spit's the bile out of her mouth. A hand holds an uncapped bottle of water in front of her and she gratefully accepts it. She feels her hair falling back against the sides of her face as she sips the water.

"I'm sorry," Troy says as she turns around so that her body is facing him. "I was really hoping that I was wrong," he whispers rather lowly.

_Was this some kind of test to see how screwed up I am? Will he quit trying to fix me?_

Then she sees his distressed face. "You are wrong. I don't try to starve myself. I actually love food. Before the accident, I use to try a different recipe every week. If that means anything to you," she says, feeling slightly embarrassed that she actually cares about how he views her.

"It does mean something."

She absentmindedly irritates the wounds on her arms as she focuses her attention the floor.

"Don't you want to stop?!" His outburst startles her and forces her to look. "Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? You sound offended by the implication of an eating disorder and defend yourself. But, isn't self-mutilation just as bad? What's the difference between those two?"

Gabriella relocates her attention to the ground, his scrutinizing gaze making her feel nervous. "You don't understand," she says in a soft voice.

"Yeah, I don't understand," he concludes in the same tone, "and I really wish I did because then I would feel more useful, like there was something that I could actually do."

She can hear the disappointment in his voice and feels guilty. To her, this is just another thing that she can't do right.

He clears his throat to regain his composure. "Anyway, the other reason I asked you to come up here is because of our Chemistry project."

_Oh yeah! I haven't even read the rubric. _

"You could of just told me during Chem."

"But you get there right before the bell and leave immediately after."

"Oh, right."

"Anyway, I know that today is your day off from work and I was hoping that we could work on our project."

"Do you want to meet up in the library?"

"Normally, I would say yes, but today is Thursday and-"

"No shit," Gabriella mutters impulsively, earning a sideways glance from Troy.

"And Thursday afternoons, I pick up Sydney from the daycare," Troy finishes, completely ignoring her rude comment. "Would it be alright if we did the project at my house?"

"I walk home, so transportation might be a problem."

"Nope. It's not a problem at all. After sixth, you can come with me to pick up Sydney. Then we'll head over to my house. I'll be happy to drop you off when we're done."

Gabriella thinks about this for a minute. She knows that it's inevitable and her AP Chemistry grade depended on this. She nods in finality, knowing that she had no choice; much like everything else when it comes to Troy.

* * *

Thoughts? Oh and if you haven't already, please check out my story Amazed. It's a happier story compared to this one. XD Thanks for reading!

Amazed

Summary: Troy hasn't been home in 3 years. Now, at 22 years of age, he was back in New Mexico with a special little girl. It's amazing how a person can impact a lifestyle. It just has to be the right one.

Much Love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	6. Unbelievable

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **I'm sorry for the wait. My laptop is all messed up so I'm trying to save all my files and transferring to a new system. I apologize for any spelling mistakes in this. I currently don't have a real word processor such as Microsoft Word so no spell check. Anywho, thanks again to **IrethK**, **AerisTifaYuffie**, **zanessalover1237**, **Clembo29**, and** liv3. in .love3 **(btw: I'm sorry I butchered your username in the last chapter =P). Enjoy!

**to ****zanessalover1237: **No, Sydney is Troy's baby sister. I'm sorry if I didn't really explain that well. If you do want a story where Troy has a daughter, check out my story Amazed. =) Okay, that was really bad product placement. lol Anywho, thanks so much for reading and leaving an anonymous review. XD

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She preferred the stableness of walking over the feeling of being on edge with every turn and speed bump. The scenery blurs outside of the window in splotches of color. At every intersection, she imagines a car running right into her side of the car. To some that maybe seem like such a morbid and impossible thought, but to Gabriella it was just something she was anticipating. Moving vehicles and Gabriella Montez were not a good combination; at all.

"Are you okay?" Troy's voice breaks into her thoughts.

The brunette shifts uncomfortably in the seat of Troy's white truck. Glancing to the her left, she notes the way his eyes are focused only on the road ahead of them and his hands grip the wheel firmly. She adverts her eyes and she can see Dandy Daycare coming into view. "Yeah, I'm just dandy," she says, silently laughing at herself for the lame pun.

Troy makes a right and pulls into the daycare's small parking lot. He easily finds an empty space and kills the engine. "You can wait in the car, if you want."

Gabriella shakes her head and unbuckles her seatbelt. "I need to talk to Noelle, anyway."

An awkward silence falls between the duo as they make their way towards the daycare. Troy chivalrously opens the door for Gabriella, causing the welcome bell to ring.

"Just a sec," a voice calls from another room.

Gabriella pats down her pockets in search of her keys. "Wait, right here. I'll go get Sydney for you," she says as she makes her way to the door of the L-shaped counter. She doesn't wait for Troy to agree as she retrieves a set of keys from her back pocket and inserts it into the lock. She unlocks the counter and locks it behind her as she enters.

"Gabriella?"

The brunette looks down the hall and sees her boss coming her way. "Hi Noelle," she says with a sheepish smile.

"Not that it's nice to see you sweetie, but you don't work today."

"Yeah, I know. I'm actually here to pick up Sydney." Then as an afterthought, she adds, "With her brother."

A smile crosses Noelle's face. "Roy?"

"No, Troy. How'd you know?"

"I may or may not have spoken to your sister."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Unbelievable."

Noelle hooks her arm with an unwilling Gabriella. "C'mon, I want to see this boy."

Gabriella shakes her head an unhooks their arms. "You go creep on him and I'll go get his sister. Ok?"

"I'm not going to 'creep on him', as you put. I just want to see if he's good enough for you," Noelle says innocently. "Besides, I don't go for younger guys."

"Troy and I are not together!"

"That's not what I heard," Noelle all but sings with a smile.

"I'm leaving. Now." Gabriella turns on the heels of her flats and walks away from her boss. She walks towards the nursery were the three youngest members of Dandy Daycare stayed for the majority of time. Noelle had the three babies playing in their cribs with Mozart playing in the background.

Gabriella walks over to Sydney's crib in the farthest corner. Lowering the side of the crib, she gently lifts the baby up and cradles her skillfully with one arm. With her free hand, she picks up the nearby diaper bag and throws the strap over her shoulder. When she reaches the door of the counter, she skillfully opens it with one hand. She's greeted by the sight of Troy and Noelle talking animatedly.

"You'll take good care of who?" Gabriella asks she catches the last bit of their conversation.

"Of you," Troy says as he takes his baby sister, who's wide awake, from the brunette's arms.

"Why would you need to take care of me?"

"Because you're going to a high school party tomorrow night." Noelle says with a smile.

Gabriella's jaw drops. "I am? When?"

"Tomorrow night," Troy begins as he makes a clown face, thus causing Sydney to laugh, "after the basketball game."

"What basketball game? What are you talking?"

"I'll leave you two to your lovers' quarrel," Noelle says as she takes a step back. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gabriella."

The brunette ignores Noelle's choice of words and turns to Troy. "Okay. What was all that about?"

"We're going out tomorrow, remember? Except, when I asked you, I forgot about my basketball game. So I thought we'd go to the game with some of my friends that are dying to meet you and then win or lose, there's a party."

Gabriella places a hand on her hip and looks up at Troy with clear annoyance. "Who says I'm going anywhere with you tomorrow night?"

"Technically, no one. But, as far as your sister knows, you'll be out of the house from 7 to 11:45."

"You- I-" Gabriella gives up on forming a coherent sentence and toss her hands to the air. She groans in frustration and storms out of the entrance of the daycare with an amused Troy and Sydney in toe.

-

-

The Bolton siblings and Gabriella arrive at the Bolton residence in approximately eight minutes. Sydney had fallen asleep in her car seat in the back. Gabriella still was ticked off about the earlier revelation of tomorrow's events. Upon entering the neighborhood, she recognized the street as being near Genevieve's house. Two streets over to be exact.

"Thanks for carrying Sydney out of the car, usually I'd have to make a second trip for my gym bag and school bag," Troy says as he props the front door open and allows Gabriella to pass him to enter the house.

Gabriella simply nods as they stand awkwardly in the foyer of the house.

"Did she fall asleep on the way over here?" Troy asks as he set her bag, his bags and Sydney's diaper bag by the front door.

"Yeah, uhmm...Where should I put her down?"

"Here, let me take her."

"I've got it. Just lead the way "

"If you insist," Troy replies and proceeds to lead Gabriella pass the dining room and down a hall. Upon reaching a white door frame, he gestures for Gabriella to enter ahead of him. A smile easily slips onto his lips at the sight of her raising onto her tiptoes in order to reach over the railing. He watches as she sets his baby sister gently on the pillow and then drapes the blanket over her small body. It warms his heart to see a different = gentler - side of her. "You really like kids, don't you?"

"It's kind of in my job description to like kids," she says with a small smile.

"Right," he says with a nod. "I bet you're going to spoil you niece or nephew rotten."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I'm pretty bent on staying as far away from my niece as possible."

"Why?"

"I don't think Genevieve wants a murderer to hang around her daughter."

"You're not a murderer."

Gabriella shakes her head and looks down. "You don't know what happened."

"Yeah, I don't," he says softly, causing her to look up at him. "I tried to not think about it, but I can't exactly keep my mind from wandering. What could have been so bad that you think of yourself as a murderer?"

"I was driving the car that killed her. The end." Despite the way that the words flowed out of her mouth so emotionlessly, it really does hurt her. The thought alone stimulates the pain of a knife being stabbed into her heart. To say it aloud was like setting dynamite to her chest. What she needs is a release for the pain to stop. And she knows just how to do it. "May I use your restroom?"

Troy is confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. Nonetheless, he nods and points to the entrance of Sydney's room. "Down the hall we came and to your left."

Gabriella nods and quickly exits.

"I'll be in my room. It's just right across from this room."

Gabriella enters the bathroom and is unsure what to do next. The accident replays in her head and numbing pain takes over her body. Her mind automatically shifts into the mindset of channeling this feelings into something more tangible, such as that of a blade._ Crap._ She thinks as she realizes that her stash is in her bag, which is downstairs. Like a movie stuck in repeat, the accidently fills her line of vision, making her forget that she was currently standing in the Boltons' bathroom and starring at her reflection. She grips the counter tighter as a means to pull herself back to reality. It is then that she realizes that the counter has sharp edges. The marble counter had steep 90 degree angles that were not sharp enough to cut but they would do. She had done this before and it was by accident, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

She pushes herself off the counter and shoves her left sleeve to her elbow. Her chocolate colored eyes examine the 20 or so cuts that litter her arm in their healing stages. In almost a robotic sense, she straightens her arm and turns the inside of her forearm out so that it could be seen fully in the mirror. Strategically, she bends down a bit and places the inside of her elbow flush against the marble counter's edge. In one swift motion, she drags her forearm up till the edge of the counter reached her wrist. She immediately back away from the counter and uses the wall behind her to steady herself. Her eyes drift shut as she welcomes the pain. Her marred forearm is as red as blood and it burns. She imagines that this is what being on fire felt like.

When she leaves the bathroom a few moments later with her arm still raw, she feels calmer. She takes her time walking to Troy's room and even stops to examine one of the family photos that adorns the hallway. An involuntarily smile makes its way on to her face as she realizes that it's a photo of a Troy in a wife beater and basketball shorts, lying on his back with Sydney sleeping on his chest. There was something almost artistic about it because the way Troy's defined muscles contrasted with the soft curves of Sydney's body.

Gabriella continues her journey down the hall and turns left and stands in the doorway. Troy, whose sitting on his, is seemingly engrossed by his phone with his back to her. She gingerly steps into his room and gives it a once over. It was relatively clean with blue walls and black, modern furniture. A set of white doors with glass panes allowed the sun to filter through. She steps further into the room and turns a bit. A cork board with three hooks for hats and jackets hangs just to the left of the doorway. A photograph with one edged ripped in a straight line, catches her eye.

"You kept it?" she asks as she steps forward to look at the photo better.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Troy asks as he comes to stand beside her.

She examines the photograph of her profile, stunned by the sharp contrast between then and now. The urge to rip the photo from the grasp of the thumbtack and rip it into bits, but she suppresses the thought.

Unknowingly to Gabriella, Troy caught sight of her perplexed expression. "Was meeting me such a terrible experience?"

She hears the strain in his voice and is overcome with guilt. "Meeting you wasn't a terrible experience. It's what came after it that was."

Her latter sentence was said so softly that he almost didn't here them. For a moment, Troy thought she didn't say anything at all. He suddenly groans in frustration and clenches his fist. "Do you know how frustrating it is to be around you? One minute, you're a pleasure to be around. Like when you're with the little kids. Then, whenever you're around just me, you act so fucking emotionless. What happened to the girl I first met? The one in the picture?"

"She's gone. What don't you understand about that? She's not coming back so don't waste your time and mine."

"Don't be so dramatic. Here's a wake up call, you're not the only person in the world who has lost someone that they loved."

"I was driving the car that night!" Gabriella finally yells at him as she gestures to the photo taken approximately four months before. "I had insisted that I drive because she had a headache. Some jackass decided that it would be alright if they got into their car and drive. Whoever the fuck the driver was, ended up in my lane and so I had to turn the wheel to avoid a head-on collision. That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done because the roads were slippery and the car skidded way too much. The car wrapped around a nearby tree. My mom died on impact. She didn't stand a chance. If I never swerved off the road then she would probably be here today."

Troy turns pale and he opens his mouth to apologize, but Gabriella continues her rant.

"I tried so hard to avoid anything that reminded me of that accident. I dyed my hair. I transferred out of West High. I moved in with Gen and Adam. I stopped talking to all of my old friends. I don't listen to music. None of that mattered though because there was nothing that I could do to really escape."

"Gabri-"

She raises a hand to silence him. "Then I get to East High and I think that I might actually had a chance to just blend in. Sure, the teachers knew my story, but they kept their distance most of the time. Then you show up in 6th period. When I saw you, something inside me broke. You were everything that I was avoiding for the past couple of months, rolled into one. Everything came rushing back to me in such detail. Before then, the crash was becoming a blur. It was getting harder to separate what really happened and what I thought happened."

"Gabriella," Troy begins with a solemn expression as he steps towards. "I'm so sorry." What he does next startles her. He slips his arms around her slim waist, beginning from the side and then pulls her front to him. He tucks her head under his chin and holds her stiff body in a comforting hold.

Gabriella is stunned by not only Troy's actions, but by her actions as well. Had she really just admitted everything that was bothering her? Here was Troy, a virtual stranger. She knew just the basics about him; the kind of generic information found on sites such as Facebook. Yet, he knew everything that there was to know about her, at least what was important. She couldn't feel anymore exposed to him than if she was naked. Gabriella feels circles being rubbed on her lower back and it is then that it registers that Troy's hugging her. Her first instinct was to push him away, but she decided against it after catching a whiff of his scent. Whatever the name of the scent was, it calmed her. She doesn't hug him back, but she does relax in his hold. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

-

-

Later that night, Gabriella wakes up with a start. The thin long sleeved that covered her upper body clung to her clammy skin. Air flowed in and out of her lungs in uneven breaths. She sits up and hugs her knees to her chest. It has been weeks since she had this particular dream. Her chest tightens and her eyes close tightly. For a second, she actually believes that she was going to cry, but the tears won't come. She could scream, but it's the middle of the night and everyone's asleep. Well, at least that's what she thought.

She makes her way downstairs and stops at the last step. To her surprise, the kitchen light is on and soft sobs resonate in the quiet air. With light steps, she makes her way towards kitchen and peers around the corner. There, at the kitchen table with her face in her hands and shoulders shaking uncontrollably, is Genevieve. Adam is right there beside her and doing his best to comfort her. Guilt instantly over comes her body. Gabriella can't recall a time that her older sister had cried; not even at their father's funeral. She can't stand to be there any longer and so she make her way quietly up the stairs.

Now she knows of only way to rid herself of feeling this way. With the desire to feel something besides the guilt and numbness, she walks to her nightstand and opens the drawer up. Like always, her actions show that she's making a rational decision. Mere seconds past before she comes in contact with the sharp metal edges of the blade. She sits down on the edge of her bed and stares at the thin metal. It would be so easy to ignore today's events if she could just let the metal touch her skin. She was about to do it too, but a lime green paper catches her eye and she tossed back into earlier in the day when Troy dropped her off.

_*FLASHBACK*_

_After hugging for a few seconds that seemed to last hours, the two had pulled away and were immediately met with an awkward silence. Neither one of them could find the words to begin a conversation. Troy was the first to break to the silence and he opted for the neutral ground of their Chemistry project. For the next two hours or so they worked diligently on their project. When they finished just before six, Toy had brought her home. He pulled his white truck up to the curb in front of the Moretti home._

_"I can't believe we're practically neighbors and I haven't seen you until this week," Troy says as he puts the car in park and turns to Gabriella._

_"Well, I never really go anywhere. So, I don't really see us running into each other by chance."_

_"But we did eventually, didn't we?" He smiles softly._

_"Yeah, I guess we did." Gabriella says more so to herself than him. "Troy, about earlier. I'm sor-"_

_"Please don't apologize for that. If anything, I should apologize. What I said earlier was really insensitive of me and I really didn't mean it."_

_"I think you did you mean or else you wouldn't of said it."_

_"So, where does this put us?"_

_Gabriella furrows her brows. "What do you mean?"_

_"Are we going to spend the rest of our time working together in an awkward platonic relationship or do you think we can actually be friends?"_

_"I don't have friends," Gabriella admits and a slight blush creeps onto her cheeks._

_"Which is exactly why you need me."_

_"What I meant to say is that I don't need friends."_

_"It would make working on this project a hell of a lot easier."_

_Gabriella lets out an exasperated sigh."Fine."_

_"Sweet," Troy says with a triumphant smile. _

_The brunette resists the urge to her eyes as she begins to gather her bag and places a hand on the handle of the door. A light touch on her shoulder causes her to stop and turn back to him. She raises and eyebrow, silently questioning him as she sees that he's scribbling something down on a lime green paper. He folds the small paper in half and hands it to her. _

_"Call me if you ever need a ride to school or something or if you just need a friend or you're going to cut."_

_"What was that last bit?"_

_He sighs and raises a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I've given up on trying to get you to stop cutting, well, at least for now. Since, I'm keeping this a secret, it'd put my mind to ease if you called me when you're doing to cut."_

_"Why? So you can talk me down?"_

_"Like I could do that. You're pretty headstrong," he mutters to himself. "No, it's so that I don't have to worry about you bleeding to death somewhere. It's so I can have some peace of mind. This isn't exactly easy for me, you know. I know you're hurting yourself and I'm not doing anything to help. It's like being a bystander in an abusive relationship. Except the abuser and the person being abused is the same person. Do you think you can do that one thing for me?"_

_"I don't know," she says honestly as she looks down at the paper in her hand._

_"Fine, but just take it and know that you always have that option. Okay?"_

_*END*_

Gabriella picks it up and adjusts herself on her bed so that her head rest on her pillow. Some odd desire to fulfill her promise to Troy earlier in the day, makes its presence known. She has no intention to call him, but it was a comforting to know that he cared, or rather someone cared. The willpower to part with the blade is not in her, so she rests it on her stomach. She holds the sheet of paper with both of her hands and says the numbers to herself. The rest of the night is dedicated to saying his phone number in his head over and over. The simple process allows her to focus on one thing, much like what she does with the cut of the blade.

_It will have to do._

* * *

**A/N: **For some reason, this was really hard to write. I think it was because I couldn't get the emotions right. Well, whatever it was..Did you like it?  
Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to know what you thought.  
Much Love,_  
Kae xoxo_


	7. Reminder of Reality

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **Hey! So, it's around 3 am on Christmas Eve for me. =) I know y'all probably want to kill me, but I am so sorry for the wait. Honestly, this story isn't the easiest to write and certain emotions are hard to turn on and off. Thank you again to _**liv3. in. lov3, Tayweezy, IrethK, pumpkinking5, Sharkay, Clembo29,**_ and **_xZANESSA4LIFEx_** for the wonderful reviews. I love all my reviewers from all my stories, but you guys are all so amazing. I hope this was worth the wait.

**to pumpkinking5:** I'm ecstatic that you enjoyed the chapter and the portrayal of the scene. The thing with the reciting of the phone number is actually similar to this coping strategy I read about. This one girl said that she would recite song lyrics at night to suppress her urges to cut. So I thought if that helps her, why can't Troy's number provide the same comfort to Gabi? Thanks so much for the review! As always, your reviews are a pleasure to read. Happy Holidays!

**to Tayweezy: **Hi! Thanks so much for checking out this story. I'm so glad you're enjoying my story and that you love it so far. Sorry for keeping you waiting! Happy Holidays!

* * *

_**April 9, 2010**_

"Gabriella. Gabriella. Wake up. Troy Bolton is here."

The brunette remained nestled beneath her sheets as the voice languidly brought her out of dreamland. She had decided that she was dreaming and ignored the voice.

"Gabriella. Bolton is downstairs. Gabriella. Wake up."

When she couldn't ignore the voice any longer, she lowered the the white sheet from above her head and winced at the fact that all of her lights were on. The sight of her brother-in-law hovering above her was slightly startling. She raised her hands to tame her unruly hair and rearranges herself so that she is sitting up against the headboard.

Seeing her obvious discomfort, Adam stood up straight and gave her some space. "Finally," he says with a goofy smile. "Your boyfriend is waiting for you downstairs."

Still under the influence of sleep, she stares at Adam as if he has three heads. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Bolton is here to pick you up."

This statement makes her sit up a bit straighter and knocks the sleep right out of her. "You're joking right?"

"Nope, he's eating a bagel in our kitchen," he says as he begins walking backwards toward the door. "Since your boyfriend's here to give you a ride to school, you mind me leaving for work early?"

A blush creeps onto her cheeks and she tries to hide it by glaring at him. "God. He's not my boyfriend!"

"But I am a friend, right?"

Her eyes dart to the open door at the introduction of a second male voice and almost doubles over in shock at the sight of Troy standing there in Wildcat colors. Any other girl would of welcomed Troy's presence in their bedroom, but Gabriella was just annoyed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He casually walks into the room and makes himself at home by sitting at the edge of her bed. "I woke up thinking I had basketball practice, then I realized that because of the game, practice is after school. So I was up all early and thought I'd drop by to see if you needed a ride."

"I'm taking advantage of that and taking off for work. Be good you guys," Adam says as he finally made it to standing directly bellow the door frame of the open door. "Troy, remember what I said earlier."

She watches as the two men exchange an unspoken understanding, leaving her confused. When Adam finally leaves, she pushes the sheet off of her body and swings her legs over the side of the bed. As she stands up to her full height, her shirt unrolls and a thin metal falls to the hardwood floor. Her eyes dart to the floor and as they come in contact with the sight of the blade, memories from last night come rushing back to her. She looks down at her clenched fist and feels herself blush for still holding the green sheet. Feeling eyes on her, she turns around as she begins to straighten out her shirt and cotton shorts. "What?" she asks while rolling her eyes.

He pushes himself off of her bed with a worried expression and he takes wide strides to reach her. Upon reaching her, he bends down to pick up the fallen blade. His eyes dart from between her and the blade, reminding her of when he first found out her secret. "You didn't- Did you?" he asks gently as his eyes roam over her exposed forearms.

She shakes her head and turns the inside of her forearms towards him, revealing the severely marred skin. "Nothing new," she says in deadpan voice as she scans his face for any sort of reaction.

His face is wiped clean of any emotions as he gently grabs hold of the backs of her wrists. With the upmost tenderness, he runs the pads of his thumbs over the rough skin. Yes, he had seen her forearms before, but he never _really_ saw them. Every inch of her skin from the crease of her elbow to her lower forearm contained at least one mutilation. "They're hideous," he concludes.

In an instant, she frees her arms from his steel grip and crosses them directly below her chest. Her gaze turns cold from his criticism. She's well aware of the fact that sight of her forearms was far from pleasurable, but she didn't need him to point it our her. "Just wait downstairs."

Lifting his arms as to say that he surrenders, he backs out of her room. "Just don't take too long. Alright?" He punctuates his exit by shutting her door for her.

_He's got some nerve. _She thinks as she makes her way to her adjacent bathroom to do her morning routine of brushing her teeth and washing her face. As she dabs her face with a cotton towel, she catches sight of herself in the mirror. If the idea of her being a murderer wasn't enough to disgust her, then her pale reflection was sure to do. This revelation startles her a bit because ever since the accident, she had stopped putting effort into her appearance. Her reasoning was that it simply did not matter to her. She chucks her towel at her reflection, as if the soft cotton would make it disappear.

The silence seems deafening as she steps back into her bedroom and begins to remove her shirt. She pauses in front of her closet and disregards her night shirt in a nearby hamper. As she lets the cotton slip through her fingers, she catches sight of her mutilated forearm. Obviously t's not the first time she's seen them, but she tries to see them through Troy's eyes. Various shades of red, horizontal lines contrasted with the length of her olive skin. The cuts ranged from one to three inches long. Beneath some of the healing cuts, lay thinner lines that would most likely seem invisible from afar. She didn't find them hideous. In fact, she kind of liked how they looked and felt. The scars were a subtle reminder of reality.

A soft knock accompanied on her closed door breaks the silence. "I hate to rush you, but we've got to get going soon."

"Just a minute!" she yells back as she grabs a black tank and pulls it over her head. After flipping through her shirts, she makes a mental note to do a load of laundry when she realizes that she's out of long sleeves. _Shit._ She thinks as she opts for a black jacket. With the clock ticking, she rushes over to a nearby dresser and grabs a pair of jeans from the top drawer and quickly changes out of her cotton shorts and into her jeans. When she flings her door open, she comes into contact with Troy's muscular back. "Are you standing guard or something?" she asks rhetorically as she regains her balance.

He turns around with a slight flush on his cheeks. "Sorry, about that. You ready?"

She nods and leads him downstairs. At the bottom of the staircase, she picks up her messenger bag and slips on her ballet flats. As they enter the foyer, she grabs her house keys off of the hook and props the door open for him to exit. After locking the Moretti house behind her, she makes her way to the beat up white truck that's becoming more and more familiar.

"Check your bag," he says as soon as she slides into the battered seats of his truck and he backs out of the driveway.

Curiously, she opens her bag and pulls out a warm foil structure. She opens it slowly, as if it would blow up at any moment. "A bagel?"

"Yeah, Adam said plain bagels with extra cream cheese and strawberry jam were your favorite."

"Thanks," she mutters and unwraps the baked good. A comfortable silence falls between them as she takes a small bite of her bagel and studies his profile. Never has she met anyone like him; someone instantaneously so blunt and thoughtful. At the very least, she finds him intriguing. She envies how he can control his emotions with such ease.

Feeling her gazes on him, he pulls his eyes away from the road for a split second to look at her. "What?"

"Nothing," she squeaks and adverts her gaze, cheeks flaming at the thought of being caught. For the remainder of the ride, she quietly eats her breakfast. In between bites, she'd glance up at him. He caught her twice and after she noticed a cocky smile on his lips, she stopped. She wasn't about to give Troy the idea that she was the least bit interested in him.

After a slightly awkward ten minute drive, Troy pulls into a parking space with 'Hoops Man' written on the parking stone.

"Uhh...Thanks for the ride and bagel," she says as she has her hand poised on the truck's handle.

"Wait a minute. Do you know where you're going?"

She looks at him like he grew a second head. "First period. Where else?"

"On a normal day, yes. We've got Wildcat Connect today."

"What?"

"Wildcat Connect. It's basically a free period that we go to every Friday, where they update us on all school news and tell us that we should be thinking about what we're going to do for the rest of our lives."

Suddenly, she is grateful for his presence. She doesn't think that she would be able to handle it if she made a complete fool out of herself by walking into the wrong classroom.

"You have Darbus with me," he informs her, earning an odd look. "Your schedule kind of fell out when I put the bagel in your bag."

_Of course we have have homeroom together! It would be too much to ask if the world actually made it easy for me to ignore you. _She thinks as she lets out an exasperated breath and props open the truck's door. "Lead the way," she says as she slides off the seat and slams the door behind her. She crosses her arms just below her chest and waits patiently as he collects his backpack from the bed of the truck. As they make their way through the parking lot, she catches sight of other students dressed in red and white from head to toe. One student, she observes, even has their hair dyed and a bright red 'E' painted on their cheek. "Is everyone always this school spirited on game days?"

"Pretty much," he replies as he waves to a police officer in a red and white golf cart. He adverts his eyes back to her and scans over her petite body. "You know, for someone that wants to blend in , you sure know how to stand out."

"Excuse me?"

"Easy now," he says as he notes the sharpness in her voice. "That was just me pointing out that you chose to wear a black jacket in a sea of red and white."

"Oh darn, cuz making a good impression on my peers was at the top of my to do list," she says sarcastically as she flings open the front entrance and holds it open for him.

He gives her curt nod and a small smile as he leads her down the nearly empty halls. "Well, being seen with me is bound to give you some popularity points."

She rolls her eyes at him and continues walking by his side. Biting her lip, she looks around as only a handful of students. "Should we be worried about getting a tardy slip?"

"Technically, yes because Darbus's room is at the other side of this campus and we have," he pauses to glance at his watch then turns to her, "about six minutes before we're late."

She doesn't sense a tinge of worry in his voice, nor does his pace quicken. If anything, his steps seem to be slowing down. She matches his pace and looks up at him with her head tilted sideways. "And we're not rushing because?"

"I just don't see the point in rushing when we might not even make it. You probably wouldn't be able to keep up with me anyway," he says the last bit with a smirk.

"You are so cocky, how does anyone tolerate you?" She raises a hand to silence him when he opens his mouth. "That was a rhetorical question. Besides, what makes you think I couldn't beat you?"

He gives a careless shrug. "Nothing personal, it's just that I work out at least three times a week for basketball. Besides I'm taller, thus having longer legs."

The little jab at her five foot one and a half height. is enough to force her to think of just the moment at hand. She wants to prove him wrong. No, she _**needs**_ to prove him wrong. "Want to bet?"

"What's in it for me?"

She ponders for a bit. What could she offer him? She knows what he would like her to do, but she ignores that annoying voice in the back of her head and says, "I'll go to that party you mentioned, willingly and at least pretend to enjoy."

"Excellent," he says with a approving smile. "In the off chance that you win, what do you get out of it?"

She knows that she isn't at liberty to ask much of him, so she settles for the bit she can control. "I don't have to go out tonight."

He immediately shakes his head. "No deal. I propose that you do come tonight and if you don't enjoy your girl time with Taylor and Sharpay while I play, then you don't have to go to the party."

"Okay, I think I can live with that." She places a hand over the strap of her messenger bag to make sure it stays put. "You ready?"

He mimics her action and they both stop. "Darbus's room is at the end of this hall on the left side. It's the first door on your left. On the count of three"

"One!" she says as she positions herself to take off.

"Two!" he says as he smiles at how competitive she looks.

"Three!" they say as they take off running through the East High halls. The few students that line the walls stop and stare. It's not the fact that two students are racing down the hall that catches their attention. They're put in shock as they see it's their beloved basketball captain and a new girl.

Gabriella is oblivious to the attention she's getting because she's focused solely on beating him and nothing else. The sight of Troy only a few steps in front of her is enough for her to ignore the sharp pain eating at her side and push herself harder. As they round the corner at the end of the hallway, she is in the lead. Her heart pounds fast and hard against her chest. _Fuck. I can actually win this. _She thinks as she slows down upon seeing a door frame decorated with theatrical face masks. Placing a hand over her beating heart, she stops right in front of the opened door and turns around to face him. "I win," she breaths.

"God you're fast," he mutters as he readjusts the strap of his backpack and works on steadying his breathing. He observes her flushed cheeks and the smirk gracing her bare lips. Despite the fact that his ego is a bit shot, he can't help but smile at yet another facet about her that he uncovered. "Yeah, yeah. You'll have time to rub it in later," he says as he turns her around by placing his hands on her shoulders and then guiding her into the classroom. The bell rings from above their heads as they were taking not more than two steps into the classroom.

"Cutting it close again, Mr. Bolton," an elderly women dressed in a dramatic red scarf and thick rimmed glasses says from a director's chair on a miniature stage. Her gaze then softens as she meets the eyes of the petite brunette in front of him. "Ah. Ms. Montez, I presume. Welcome to East High."

The brunette just nods and forces a polite smile on her face. Without the adrenaline coursing through her body, she's exceedingly aware of all of the pairs of eyes on her. She adverts her eyes to the floor and is suddenly hypnotized by a scuff on her leather patent shoes.

"Mr. Bolton, care to explain why you and Ms. Montez are so out of breath?"

He lets out an awkward cough and reaches a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Not really."

"Then I advise you to take your seat. Ms. Montez, I apologize. The only seat available is in the back."

She mutters something incoherent and makes her way to the back of the room. As she walks down the aisle, she passes by some familiar faces. She slides her bag off of her shoulder and collapses into the desk chair. The room fills with chatter as Ms. Darbus does her best to talk over her many students. The brunette focuses on a scuff mark on the floor. Her mind shifts into neutral as she stares and attempts to sort through whatever feeling the blue-eyed boy brings out in her. Had she really just race down a hallway with him because of a silly bet? For once, she didn't feel like she had to follow through the predetermined course of her day. She surprised herself by being so spontaneous and showing him the slightest glimpse of her old personality. The girl that would brake out into song and skip down hallways, not caring about what anyone thought about her. For almost four months, she was able to suppress that part of her and almost completely phase it out. She wants to convince herself that he has no affect on her and that she doesn't deserve the happiness that her old life brought. It's been drilled into her every thoughts that she can't allow herself to feel anything besides the guilt and heartache that she caused. Then he comes along and she's suddenly thrown for a loop. He provokes her, like waving a piece of meet does to a untamed dog. She can't control whatever she is feeling for him whether it be hatred or love.

A manicured finger jabs into her sides, eliciting a quiet yelp from her and yanks her out of her thoughts. She snaps her head to the left and is surprised to see the beautiful blonde from yesterday, dressed in white jeans and a glittery red tank. Beside her is Taylor in white capris and a red polo with a red headband in her curly locks "Hi," she says as she offers the best smiles she can muster.

"Hey Gabriella!" they greet simultaneously as Sharpay takes a seat in the now vacant chair in front of her and Taylor slides to the seat to her left.

The brunette looks around the room and furrows her brows as she sees that everyone is up and out of their seats, mingling with each other. "Are announcements done?"

"Maybe if you weren't thinking about Troy, then you would of noticed," the blonde teases with a smirk.

Taylor, who gives a motherly vibe, shakes her head at a blushing Gabriella, "Deny it all you want, but one thing's for sure. Troy definitely is thinking about you."

She resists the urge to roll her chocolate brown eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"Golden Boy's been starring at you for the last 5 minutes or so."

Sure enough, when Gabriella looks up, piercing blue eyes are starring back at her. He looks down bashfully, like a little kid caught sneaking a bite of cookie before dinner, when his eyes meet hers. In a matter of minutes, he intrudes on the group of female's circle, along with his two friends dressed in the same clothing as him.

The darker skinned and taller male of Troy's friends is the first to break the awkward silence. "Hi, I'm Zeke! You must be Gabriella. It's nice to finally meet you."

"And I'm Chad from Chem. It's nice to be formally introduced," the shortest of the three says with a pleasant smile. "You mind if I call you Gabs?"

"I guess not," she says as she starts wringing her hands.

"Well then, Gabs, where's all of your school spirit?"

She shrugs her shoulders pulls on her sleeves. "Didn't think it was such a big deal."

"In that case," Sharpay begins with a wide smile, "it's a good thing I'm here." The blonde takers her oversized red bag and pulls out a make up bag. Unlike Gabriella's, the bag contains actual make up and other beautifiers. "Taylor, why don't you braid Gabriella's hair into two French braids." She empties the makeup bag on to Gabriella's desktop. and out rolls a bottle of red nail polish, a nail file, several red elastic bands, red ribbon, eyeliner, an eyeshadow palette, and a small brush.

Gabriella's eyes widen and she tries to pull back when Sharpay reaches for her hand.

"Troy, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm seriously invading on girl time," Chad says as he takes a noticeably large step back.

Troy nods and grins at Gabriella as he backs away. "Definitely man. I saw we go bug Darbus about giving back the basketball she confiscated last week."

Zeke kisses the top of Sharpay's head and follows the other boys' lead.

"Chad didn't even acknowledge my presence." Taylor complains as she moves to stand behind Gabriella. "I think I went after the wrong basketball player."

Sharpay laughs as she shapes Gabriella's nails with the file, a mischievous smile falling on her lips. "How do you feel about sports bras?"

"They're okay," Gabriella replies uneasily. "You know, it's really not necessary for either of you to do this."

The blonde ignores her as she puts down the file and picks up the red nail polish. "And paint? No objections to paint?"

Instinctively, the brunette begins to shake her head, but Taylor steadies it. "Don't move, sweetie. What Sharpay is trying to get you to agree to is this tradition we do. Every once in awhile, we go to a game in red sports bras and paint our stomachs red with a white number painted on it for our boyfriends' number. Shars really into showing her school spirit."

"So, what do you say?"

The petite brunette's eyes practically pop out of her head. Expose not only her arms, but her stomach as well?

_Hell no. That will never happen._

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Gabriella, this better not be because your body conscious."

_In a way, yes!_

"Cuz you're tiny!" Taylor adds with a smile and pokes Gabriella's flat stomach.

Her mind races as she searches for a reasonable excuse. Sensitive skin? No red sports bra? Religious beliefs? What excuse was there? Sharpay projects a 'I get what I want' persona, providing her with a skills to find a loophole in everything.

"Darbus won't give me back my basketball," Chad whines and all but stomps his feet like a two-year-old that doesn't get his way.

"So, what are we talking about here?" Troy asks as he gives Chad a playful shove.

"Shar and I were just trying to convince Gabs over here that she should wear a red sports bra and paint her stomach."

"I bet Troy would like that." Chad sneers and exchanges a high five with Zeke.

Troy tries to hide his embarrassment by slapping Chad across the back of his head. "Dude!"

The blonde rolls her eyes as she begins to add a second coat of nail polish. "Anyway, we're not taking 'no' for answer."

"Thanks for the offer, but I work after school and there's no way I can paint my torso by myself. So..." Even to her own ears, the excuse sounded pathetic.

"Not a problem. Tay and I can pick you up when you're done with work and take you back to my house."

"Yeah, it'll be fun getting ready!" Taylor exclaims as she ties off the second braid. "Mind if I draw a tiny paw at the corner of your eye?"

Gabriella nods absentmindedly as she thinks of a way to get out of this. Panic sets in and there's nothing more she would rather do than just run out of there. She's having a hard time controlling the anxiety that's building in her. In desperation, she raises her eyes to Troy and silently pleads to him for help. Now would be the time for him to come to her rescue.

* * *

**A/N: **She's in a bit of a pickle, isn't she? And really confused. =P I apologize again for the wait. I'm on brake right now so I'm planning on dedicating Saturday and Sunday to writing more chapters for this. Merry Christmas! or Hanukkah! or Kwanzaa! or whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate!  
Much Love,_  
Kae xoxo_


	8. Frightening Thought

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **First off, _**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**_ I still can't believe that it's 2010. Can you? I rung in the New Year by watching the ball drop in Time Square on TV, watching Zanessa tributes on YouTube, and writing this chapter. Sounds pretty good to me, no? Thanks again to my amazing reviewers:_**zacefanno1**__, __**liv3. in ,lov3**__,__** AerisTifaYuffie**__,__** Tayweezy**__, __**pumpkinking5**__, __**IrethK**__,__** xZANESSA4LIFEx**__,__** xxluvstruckxx**__, _and_** Clembo29. **_ So this came out shorter than anticipated, which baffles me because it felt like it went on forever. lol Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy it!

**to **_**Tayweezy: **_lol I know! She's so flip-floppy with her emotions towards him. It's a love-hate thing, sort of. =) I'm glad you're loving it so far and happy new year!

**to **_**pumpkinking5: **_lol Thank me? No, no. Thank you! You always leave such an insightful anonymous review. I'm glad that you really enjoyed the last chapter. It was fun to write just because I got to liven Gabby up a bit. =) Happy New Year!****

* * *

She knew that he didn't owe her anything. Especially because she wasn't the most cordial person towards him when he wouldn't leave her alone. He could easily stand aside and watch her be tormented. Perhaps in some twisted way it would be best for him,and therefore for her as well. She would then be forced to reveal her secret to more people. One person was easy to control, or at last monitor, but four more people would just be complicated and stressful. Best of all, for him, the responsibility would be lifted from his shoulders.

He could ignore the way her chocolate brown eyes practically bore into him and regard the almost hopeless expression on her face as a figment of his imagination. She believed that he had had every right to ignore her pleas. After all, she didn't deserve his kindness in the first place.

With her brown eyes, she watches as his muscular chest collapses inwards as he lets out an inaudible sigh. She dares herself not to turn around as he walks over to stand behind her. That's it. Although not literal, he has turned her back on her and left her to fend for herself. Her mind races to think of an excuse and is ready to spin her lie when she hears him speak.

"She can't take part in your little tradition or whatever you call it because she already agreed to wear my letterman jacket tonight."

Gabriella sat with her eyes wide open and her jaw in danger of touching the floor. Her reaction should of been happy, much like that of the squealing Sharpay and Taylor. If not that, she should of exchanged some sly smile with a scarlet faced Troy. Any female would be ecstatic about the announcement, right? This is Troy Bolton after all; piercing blue eyes and a smile that makes one feel weak in the knees. If things were different, she would of been literally jumping for joy. Then again, if things were different, she wouldn't be in this dilemma.

"This is so great," Sharpay gushes as she finishes the rest of the stunned brunette's nails. "I'll excuse you this time, but just this once."

"I remember when Chad asked me to wear his jacket," Taylor says to no one in particular. "He was so nervous that he mumbled the question the first couple of times and then he ended up just yelling the question at me."

Gabriella ignores the laughter erupts from the group of friends, minus a bashful Chad, as they recall the incident. She drops her gaze, allowing into shift to her covered forearm. The little control she has has been ripped from her grasp. The urge to cut gnaws at her as she wishes for some form of control to return to her.

Taylor regains her composure and shoots her boyfriend a sympathetic smile. "What time and where should Shar and I pick you up?" she asks Gabriella to distract them.

Troy clears his throat, pulling the attention back to him. "Why don't I just drop her off at Shar's house when her work ends? I've got to give her the jacket anyways."

"Yeah, bring her by anytime," Sharpay says with a terrible grin as she caps the nail polish bottle and stands up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Ms. Darbus about something before this period ends. I'll talk to you all later." She flashes her pearly whites before sauntering off. Zeke smiles sheepishly at everyone before sweeping Sharpay's things back into her bag and rushing after her.

"He's so whipped," Chad mutters. earning a smack from his girlfriend. "What?"

"Zeke's just really sweet. Besides, why does being whipped have to be a bad thing?"

As the couple breaks into a lovers quarrel, she sees that Troy slips into the seat Sharpay occupied in her peripheral vision. Gabriella can feel his intense eyes on her and it sends chills down her spine. She doesn't reply when he greets her, nor does she face him. How can she when she feels at a lost for what she's feeling? She wants to be angry at him because he is the link to these new people in her life. She finds it strangely exhilarating that he would even suggest such a thing. Coinciding with that, she knows that he was just saying it to help her out, not because he really wanted her to. That truth makes her feel the slightest tinge of disappointment.

"I'd rather you yell at me than say nothing to me at all."

Was she mad? Oh yes, but not at him. These thoughts running through her head anger her. How can she let him affect her so much? How can she allow herself to feel anything, especially for him?

"I know that I probably shouldn't of said that, but I panicked."

This confession startles her enough that she forced herself to look up and see the the sincerity written on his face. "Panicked?" she echoes.

"Well, yeah," he replies as he looks down somewhat abashed. "I kind of put you in the situation and I didn't want you to be forced into say something you didn't want to. I knew that the jacket thing would get Sharpay to stop pushing you to do it."

"It certainly did that."

"Look, you don't have to wear it, okay? I'll tell Sharpay that I lost it."

She shakes her head. "Then she'll make me wear that stupid sports bra."

"I'm not going to force you to go then, okay?"

"No, I have to go. Gen and Adam are expecting me to go. They haven't seen me around other people in months. I think they're more excited about this than I am."

"I apologize for my eccentric friend."

"Why is it that you always seem to be saying sorry for something?"

"Part of my charm," he half jokes and offers a heartwarming smile. He raises an eyebrow in suspicion when a sound of disbelief slips from her plump lips. "What?"

"You're just so..." _Nice and perfect. _She thinks those words fit him to the t, but right now she chooses a different adjective. "Arrogant."

"The female population of East High doesn't seem to think that."

"That's because they don't know you."

"And you do?" he says, a challenge evident in his voice.

_No. _She thinks to herself because that is the truth. Ready to divert the question from the rather dramatic turn of events, she asks, "What is said female population going to think when they see me in your jacket?"

He shrugs and smirks slightly. "It doesn't matter what they think because they don't know me, right?"

"Right,"she mutters and looks at anything, but him.

"Besides, would it be so bad that people got the impression that you're my girlfriend?"

Her eyes snaps to him and she looks at him as if he had a second head. "You're joking right? Do you know how many death glares I got when Mrs. Jameson announced that we were partners? That perky redhead-"

_Finally._ She thinks as the bell cuts her off and she instantly jumps to her feet, hoisting her bag off the floor and onto her shoulder.

Troy stands in her ways as she makes her move to walk down the pathway between the rows of desks. "Mind if I walk with you to your first period?"

"You might not get to class on time," she says quickly.

"Luckily, our classes are within five feet of each other," he says cheekily, eliciting another peculiar look on her. "I saw your schedule, remember?"

"Well, I have to stop by my locker first."

"It's a good thing it's on our way to class, isn't it?" He watches as she looks at him warily and crosses her arm just below her chest. "I'm not stalking you, I swear. I noticed that you circled it on the school map on the back of your schedule." He moves to the side and gestures for her to walk pass him, which she happily does. "Oh and our 2nd period classes are also near each other."

"Lucky me," she mutters as he matches her fast pace.

***

***

She feels like a fish out of water in the lavished bedroom of Sharpay Evans. Her feet are tucked beneath her as she sits on the blinding, pink sheets. As promised, Troy picked her up from work. The car ride to the Evans's mansion was far from comfortable. He made no effort to hold conversation with her, which baffled her. When he pulled into Sharpay's driveway, he wordlessly handed her his lettermen jacket and bid her quick farewell. His present actions confused her, considering that he appeared in her vicinity for the majority of her day with a bright smile.

She runs her fingers over the red boiled wool body of the jacket and the white, leather sleeves with banded wrists. The collar and waistband were also a blinding shade of red and white. She traced the lines of the patched red 'E' outlined in white on its left breast and followed the loops of 'Bolton' stitched on its right.

"What do you think?" Taylor's voice breaks her trance, causing the brunette to look up.

Her brown eyes widen as she takes in the red sports bra and the exact same shade of red paint covering her toned stomach. She completes the look with white jean shorts that match the white paint in the shape on an eight. "How is that comfortable?"

"You get use to it," Sharpay answers as she walks back into the room from the adjoining bathroom. "Want to give it a shot?"

Gabriella lifts the jacket on her lap and offers her best smile. "I think I'm good."

"I think it's amazing that you two are together now," Sharpay with a smile before turning to mutter something to Taylor and hands her a pencil. Taylor nods and kneels down to draw a 32 on the blonde's stomach.

"We aren't together," the brunette says quickly. " I know that the whole jacket thing is usually when a guy asks a girl to be his girlfriend, but that's not the case. We were discussing Wildcat spirit and he kind of just offered since I didn't get a chance to go to the school store."

The blonde looks over her and studies her for a minute, as if she was deciding if that was the truth. She simply nods and says, "Whether you're together or not, you seem to make him happy,"

"I highly doubt that," she says without thinking.

"No, he's quite smitten with you," she says with a sincere smile. "After what he's been through, I think that he really does deserve it."

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't told you about-"

"Shar!" Taylor scolds with a menacingly glare from her spot on the floor. She looks over at Gabriella with an apologetic smile. "It's not our place to tell. You two seem pretty close. I'm sure he'll tell you about it soon."

These words do not soothe Gabriella's curiosity. The implication that Troy's life isn't as perfect as it seems, unsettles her. It's a greater reminder of how little she knows about him.

"Hey Gabs?"

"Hmm?" she replies as she looks up to see Taylor looking at her with concern.

"Don't worry about it, okay? It happened a while back and he rarely brings it up. So don't feel bad that he hasn't shared it with you yet."

Despite the fact that those weren't her thoughts at all, Gabriella smiles at the other girl. She wasn't looking for friends, but she decided that if she was, Taylor would be a pretty good candidate.

"C'mon," Taylor says as she makes her way towards her. "Blondie's waiting in the bathroom and she gets pretty snappy when she's kept waiting."

"I heard that!" Sharpay shrieks from the other room.

"See!" Taylor whispers with a grin as she pulls the brunette off of the bed. Giggles slip from the brunette's lips, causing her to clap a hand over her own mouth. "It's not a crime to laugh," she teases as they enter the bathroom.

"Less talking more painting," the blonde says as she holds out two paint brushes. "Multi-tasking is key, girls. Tay, why don't we catch Gabs up on all the school gossip?"

"Best idea you've had all night," Taylor says with a sly grin.

Gabriella listens as the girls begin the chatter. She can't remember the last time she did this. No, not the odd body painting, but the gossiping with girlfriends. At first, she didn't know what to say or how to act. Then it comes rushing back to her like she never stopped her weekly sleepovers with her best friend. She can feel the change in the air and she wants to fight it, but instead she laughs along with her new friends.

***

***

As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun. That much is evident when the three newly acquainted friends come rushing in with no more then ten minutes until the game began. Sharpay leads them to a group of girls that sit a couple of seats behind the players' bench. They fill the vacant seats and introductions are exchanged quickly. The girls pester poor Gabriella about her, rather the basketball captain's jacket. She struggles to get them to understand that they're just friends at most, but the girls remain doubtful.

"There's Zeke!" Sharpay calls out as she points at her boyfriend making a lay-up.

"There's Chad!"

Gabriella easily spots Troy in the midst of the chaos on the basketball court. His back is to her as he remain focus in practicing a pass to another teammate, who just happens to be Chad. She watches as Chad gestures towards her and Troy spins on the heels of his shiny basketball shoes. He waves at her and offers her a wide smile, the cold demeanor from earlier completely melted. She feels herself smile reflexively, but then freezes as she notes the sea of blue and gold that provides his background.

_Please don't let this be them._

Her eyes dart to the opposite site of the court, where she spots several familiar faces. She shuts her eyes in an almost painful manner in hopes that she's just seeing things. When she opens her eyes, she sees that this isn't an illusion. Much to her distaste, the Knights are really here. Panic fills her body as she easily pin points her former best friend, Kelsi Neilson in the stands.

"I need to go," she says to anyone that was listening. She quickly stands up and makes her way down the bleachers and out the gym's door.

Breathing becomes difficult as she rounds the corner of an empty hall and leans against the concrete walls. She allows her to slide down the wall until her forehead is pressed against her knees. The smell of Troy's cologne surrounds her as she keeps her head down and focuses on her breathing.

Heavy footsteps echo in the empty followed by his deep voice. "Gabriella, are you out here?" The steps become louder and she deduces that he has come to halt in front of her. "What's wrong?" he asks and she can feel his presence surround her.

_What's right? _She thinks to herself as her distress transforms into anger. She raises her head and narrows her dark eyes at the kneeling Troy in front of her. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me," she says, her voice as sharp as one of her blades.

"Tell you what?"

"I can't believe you knew and you didn't tell me! I mean, there's no possible way that you didn't know. I really can't do this right now. The funny thing is that I was actually beginning to relax, but of course karma wouldn't let me be. And to think that I was actually starting-"

"Gabriella! Will you shut up for a second?!" he yells, cutting her of mid sentence. "Thank you. Now, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You're playing against West High!" she exclaims on the brink of hysteria.

"Yeah, so? We've played them before. I don't see-" He cuts himself off as the gears in his mind click. He takes in the distress on her face and the way her shoulders shake with each deep breath. "Shit! I am so sorry! When I invited you to come, I wasn't even thinking about that. I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry."

She can see the sincerity written on her face and she suddenly feels foolish for her erratic behavior. Of course he didn't do this on purpose. He's been kinder to her than anyone she's ever met. "There you go again, apologizing like everything's your fault," she says with as she silently laughs at herself. "You must think I'm crazy by now."

"Crazy? No. Unpredictable? Yes," he says with a small smile and reaches t tuck a strand of hair behind her hair. "I can take you home now. Let me just-"

"Don't be ridiculous! You have a game to play in," she grabs his unsuspecting wrist to look at his watch, "less than five minutes! I'll just walk."

"There's no way in hell that I'm letting you walk home. At night." He adds the latter emphasis as he stands, up making himself seem more intimidating. He extends his hand to help her up, which she gladly excepts. "I'll just get my keys and we can go."

"Troy," she begins softly, "you really don't have to. I'm quite capable of walking, you know."

"For my own piece of mind, just let me take you home. It would be extremely hard to concentrate when I'm worrying about whether or not you made it home safely. Besides, the most that they can do is cut down my playing time if I come in late. Really, it's no big deal."

His caring nature ignites something very unfamiliar in her, which is a bit unsettling her. She studies the overwhelming sincerity on his face with a critical eye. The excitement of the crowd in the room behind them carries into the empty halls. She can almost hear the ticking of a Troy's watch as she decides what to do now. There aren't many things that she considers that she can do right. Making Troy miss part of an important game wouldn't be one of them. Letting out a deep breath, she then says, "We better get back in there, the game is about to start."

"Did you not here what I just said? I'm not- Wait. Did you just say 'we'?" He says it with such a boyish grin that she can't help but stop her own lips from curving into a smile.

"Yeah, I did. We better get East High's star player in there before the game starts." She takes the initiative of walking away first, but is pulled back when she feels him grip her wrist lightly.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

_No. _She answers truthfully in her head because she really isn't sure of anything these days. She was sure that she could make herself virtually disappear at East High. That didn't happen. She was sure that Genevieve and Adam would never treat her the same. That's slowly becoming disproved. She was sure that nothing could replace the pleasure and contentment that the blade created. But now, as Troy smiles at her encouragingly and slips his hand into hers, it dawns on her that even that might not be true. If there was one thing she was sure of tonight, it's that the meaning of butterflies in her stomach was definitely a frightening thought.

* * *

**A/N: ** I swear, this isn't me being pushy, but did you count how many reviewers that was up there? It's 9!!! To go from barely 4 to almost double digits is pretty amazing. So another big thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! Okay, now it's 4 a.m. on New Years Day (for me at least =P). I need sleep; church in like 4 hours. Uhgg..I'm dead. lol I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for more.  
Here's to this year being the very best!  
Much Love,_  
Kae xx_


	9. Need to Let Go

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **I should be studying, but what do I do? =P I'm so sorry this took awhile to get up, but it was kind of an important chapter and I didn't want to rush it. Thanks again to _**Tayweezy**_, _**liv3. in. lov3**_, _**kaos2405**_, _**Xuvstrukxx**_, _**xZANESSA4LIFEx**_, _**pumpkinking5**_, and _**Clembo29**_. Enjoy!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** lol You were my first review of the new year. =) I like when they click too, it makes me happy. Troy's past shall be revealed soon, along with them possibly being together. =) I'm so glad you like the last chapter! Thanks so much for the lovely review.

**to **_**Xuvstrukxx**_**:** Awe, you're sweet! Thank you for complimenting me as a writer. haha.. I know right? Troy's just the sweetest and we'll find out more about him soon-ish. =) Thanks so much for checking out my story and I hope you stay tune for more.

**to **_**pumpkinking5**_**:** Writing Troy rescue her with his letterman jacket was my favorite darn, I really hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint you (you'll understand when you read the first sentence and realize the setting). Me writing a basketball scene does not equate to a good chapter. At all. lol Thanks so much for the once again, amazing review.

* * *

_**April 10, 2010**_

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Gram," Gabriella says into the phone. "Tell Vanessa I said, 'Hello' as well. Bye." She clicks the END button on the phone. It's not anger that causes her to slam the phone into it's base, but rather a less threatening criminal- exhaustion.

The basketball game the previous night had been enough excitement for her to last a week. She thought that she could she do it- that she had enough self control to. She had done her best to avoid everything blue and gold. Which was a difficult task when her eyes diligently followed Troy's movements up and down the court. By the time half time rolled around, she knew that she couldn't stand it any longer. She had dared herself to look at the West High crowd and she nearly had a panic attack as she spotted Kelsi starring at her from across the court. With a quick fib, she left behind a confused blonde and brunette. She was on the school's steps when the voice of the owner whose jacket wrapped around her thin frame pulled her to a stop. Chills ran down her spine at the deja vu feeling. He simply draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the parking lot. She didn't resist the gesture; she even leaned into him.

Troy had brought her home and gave her a simple hug before speeding back to his basketball game. She let herself into the Moretti house with the quietness of a ghost. Her movements had been almost robotic as she went into her night routine- despite the fact that it had just been a little past 7:30. Her whole day played in her head on loop and she took her time to dissect every aspect. At one point, she thought that she made the whole day up. But then she looked over at the discarded jacket draped on the back of her chair. Like a corpse, she had just laid in bed for a restless night.

Around midnight, she had gotten up for a glass of water. She stopped short of actually entering the kitchen when she had noticed that Genevieve was hunched over the kitchen. Her sister was crying again, but this time no one was there to comfort her. The sound of her crying was just as painful as it was the first time she heard it. Instead of bolting like last time, she decided to make herself suffer. She sat on the other side of the entrance with her knees pulled to her chest. As she bared witness to her sister's grief, she found that her sister is much stronger that she is. Genevieve is able to deal with her pain by natural means, while Gabriella deals with her pain by self-inflicting more pain.

Gabriella now sits with her legs crossed at her desk at Dandy Daycare. She's working extra for Noelle by managing the paperwork. She lets out a yawn and runs her hand through her unruly hair. After staying up till Genevieve was done crying, she wasn't able to go back to sleep. She presses her forehead to the icy counter and shuts her eyes. Memories fill her mind and just like Troy's hugs, she doesn't resist them.

_**December 31, 2009 - January 1, 2010**_

_Gabriella Montez looks up at him through her lushes lashes. She studies his bright smile and captivating blue eyes. Without a shadow a doubt, she knew that he was unbelievably gorgeous. How did she not faint at the sight of him when they were singing?_

"_I'm Troy, by the way." He sends her a crooked smiled that makes her feel weak in the knees. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."_

"_Ella, actually Gabriella, but I like Ella."_

"_I like Ella too," he mutters in a distant voice. "You did an amazing job up there," he compliments with a smile that could light up the night._

_Heat rises to her cheek, matching the red streaks entwined into her straightened locks. "You too Troy," she says shyly. "I mean, you have such a great voice." She absentmindedly plays with the W pendant hanging from a gold chain. Nervousness eats at her as she watches him rock back and forth on his feet._

"_So, I'm guessing his name is Will. Am I right?"_

_Her face scrunches up and she tilts her head to the side. "What?"_

"_Your boyfriend."_

"_My boyfriend?"_

_She watches as Troy gestures to her necklace. The gears click in her mind and she immediately stops playing with her pendent. "The W stands for my school- West High."_

"_In Albuquerque?"_

_She is just as stunned as she slowly nods in response. "How'd you know?"_

"_I have a few friends that go to East High and I heard that their biggest competitor is West High," he says with a mischievous smirk._

"_Got that right. We beat them in last year's basketball championships and dance competition," she says proudly. "Their Decathlon Team beat us though. We're pretty bitter that we couldn't take all three from them, but our team has been working their asses of to beat them this year. Just don't tell your friends that," she adds the latter sentence quickly._

"_Scout's honor," he says lamely and holds up three fingers._

_She smiles at him and opens her mouth to speak, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turns around and is surprised to see the MC that called her and Troy onto stage._

"_Glad to see that you two are getting along fairly well. I've done good," he boasts. "You two did a great job up there and I just wanted to give you this as a little reminder of this night." He hands them a four by six inch photograph and walks away, but not before throwing a "Happy New Year!" over his shoulder._

_Gabriella looks down at the photograph in her hand. It was of when they were on stage singing. They stood about a foot apart and they were both smiling like idiots at each other._

"_I like it," he states firmly as he views it from over shoulder. "I think that you should keep it."_

_She looks at him over her shoulder and shakes her head. "No, I couldn't."_

"_But I insist."_

_Gabriella thinks about this situation. Of course she wants to keep the picture of him, as a reminder that it actually happened. On the other hand, she wanted him to keep it so that he'll remember her. She looks back at the photograph and smiles, an idea popping into her head._

"_What are you doing?" he asks as he watches her fold the picture right down the middle._

_She ignores his question and pinches the fold into a tight crease. She open the picture so that it's flat and grips it at the top with the tips of her fingers. In one swift movement, the image is torn in half. She hands him the half with her picture on it and smiles._

_Troy smiles down at the photo in his hands. "Let me guess, your favorite movie was 'The Parent Trap' growing up."_

"_It still is. Lohan kicked butt!" she says cutely. "Now we both have a piece of the picture."_

"_I get the better half. Thank you for that."_

_Her cheeks burn at the insinuation as she just stares up and into his blue eyes, which are looking back down at her. The doors behind them suddenly open, causing people to flood on to the balcony on which they stood. Neither make an effort to move as they join in on the countdown._

"_Ten!"_

"_Nine!"_

"_Eight!"_

"_Seven!"_

_She can feel his breath on her face as he takes a step forward._

"_Six!"_

"_Five!"_

"_Four!"_

"_No boyfriend?" he whispers as he leans down._

"_Three!"_

"_Two!"_

"_None," she whispers, aware of what was about to occur._

"_One! Happy New Year!!!"_

"_Good," he whispers before swooping down and capturing her lips in a chaste kiss. "Happy New Year, Ella," he says in a voice that's barely audible over the roar of the fireworks._

"_Happy New Year," she whispers back, before leaning up to kiss him once more on the lips, causing their own fireworks to erupt between them._

_The two broke apart when random people began patting their backs to wish them for the new year. They turned back to each other when they finished greeting every one in a five foot proximity._

"_I should probably find my mom and greet her," she says randomly._

_He nods sadly. "I should probably do that too. I mean, not your mom. My mom. And dad. It would be awkward if I did that. I mean, greeted your mom. Cuz that would be-"_

_She cuts him off with her sweet laugh. "I get it, Troy."_

_He nods his and scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. Reaching into his pocket, he asks, "Cam I have your number?" She simply smiles as she pulls out her own phone and they exchange numbers. "It was nice meeting you Ella," he says, bending down and gingerly kisses her on the lips and once on the cheek. He pulls away slowly, grinning. "Talk to you soon?"_

"_Oh definitely," she replies, growing confident in his presence._

_Gabriella smiles coyly at him before disappearing into the crowd. She was still in a daze as she made her way downstairs, towards the 21 and older party. She easily spotted her mother conversing with another woman. She easily maneuvers hers man herself through the crowd, taking full advantage of her small frame._

"_Ella!" her mother exclaims. "I was just about to come get you."_

"_Come get me?" she asks, confused by her mother's choice of words._

"_Yes, the hospital called and they found a match for one of my patients. So I said that we would take a flight back as soon as possible. I'm sorry that I have to cut your vacation short."_

"_It's fine, honestly. I was feeling a bit guilty that we didn't spend New Year's Eve with Genevieve and Adam, anyway." Gabriella replied sweetly, referring to her older sister._

"_Thanks for understanding Ella," Maria replied, pulling her youngest daughter into a hug. "Oh where are my manors? Sweetie, this is Lucille Bolton."_

_Gabriella turned towards the other woman, shaking her outstretched hand. She was stunned that the woman carried the exact shade of blue eyes as the ones she saw not more than 20 minutes ago. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Bolton."_

"_Please Ella, call me Lucille. 'Ms. Bolton' sounds too formal and it makes me feel old."_

_The group of women shared a laugh that seems to be diffused within the already loud room._

"_Lucille was just telling me that she has a son your age that went to the young adults party as well."_

"_He's about this tall." Lucille brings her hand up so that it appears way above her thin stature. "Same brown hair and blue eyes as me."_

"_Troy?" Gabriella asked, feeling slightly embarrassed by the hopefulness in her voice._

_Lucille nodded eagerly, "Yes! I see that I no longer need to introduce you."_

"_Yeah, we both got pulled into this karaoke thing. " She ginned slightly at the memory._

"_My son? Singing?" Lucille looked down at the brunette in amusement. "You don't think there's a recording of it somewhere, do you?"_

_The brunette laughs and shakes her head. "God, I hope not. If there is, I'll burn it myself. It was totally embarrassing. "_

_Maria walks back to where her daughter and new friend stood, leaving Gabriella to wonder when she walked away in the first place. "That was the airport, our flight takes off in two hours."_

"_Well then, I guess we should go pack."_

"_You're right, sweetheart." Maria turns towards her new friend to giver a hug. "Lucille, it was lovely meeting you. Please call me when you get back to Albuquerque."_

"_Albuquerque?" Gabriella echoes, confused as to what her hometown had to do with anything._

"_Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. Lucille and her family are from Albuquerque as well. Her son goes to East High. Last year, he had Genevieve for English II Honors."_

_Gabriella's eyes almost popped out in shock. Troy went to East High- her school's biggest rivalry. Her friends on the Dance Team would not be pleased. "Cool," Gabriella commented lamely as Lucille hugged her as well._

_They exchanged goodbyes and Maria navigated her daughter through the crowd. "Did you have a good time at the party, Ella?"_

"_Yeah, mom. It was great!"_

"_See, see! Aren't you glad that I pried that book out of your hand and made you go?"_

_Gabriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes as her mom continued to rant about her lack of social skills and being to serious about her after school activities._ I'm sorry that I love to read. _Gabriella thought to herself as they made into their hotel room._

Gabriella's vivid recollection blends with the sound of distant voices as she drifts back to reality. Her dream was a bittersweet memory of _that_ night. That particular portion of the evening was actually quite wonderful. It felt like one of the those cheesy scenes straight from her books. It's what comes after it that causes her to loose sleep. The voices around her grow louder and now she is very much aware that it's coming from above her.

"I can't believe you're watching her sleep!"

"Okay, I'll say this again. I am _**not**_ watching her sleep. I'm here to drop off a check for my parents."

"And that's why ten minutes after I heard the entrance bell ring, you still haven't moved."

"I have not been here ten minutes!"

"So you're not denying that you were watching her?"

"I didn't have the heart to wake her."

"Just admit you were watching her."

"But I wasn't!"

"You know, as much as girls swooned over Edward Cullen, he was actually a huge stalker. Not many girls find that attractive."

"Now I'm a stalker?"

"Was that a statement?"

Gabriella groans, knowing that she probably pick her head up from her workspace. She wipes the corners of her mouth, making sure that she hasn't drooled. She timidly raises her head to see a bashful Troy looking down at her.

"Look, you woke her up Edward," Noelle says from behind her.

"Why does everybody compare him to Edward?" Gabriella thinks aloud as she runs her hands through her tangled locks.

"Who else compared me to some sparkly vampire?"

"Adam," she responds simply as she stands up. "You saved me a phone call to the Bolton house. Where's the check?"

Troy's eyes bulge out. "You weren't really sleeping?!"

"Resting my eyes, is all," she says with a shrug and extends an open palm to him. "The check?"

He withdraws a folded paper from his back pocket and places it in her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she says as she avoids his intense blue eyes. By now, she has learned that he could read her like a lie detector.

"So, when do you get off work?"

"It depends on when I finish this paperwork and finish cleaning up the playrooms."

"But she's on break now," Noelle interjects with a grin.

"I just got here an hour ago!"

"Yeah, well it's lunch time."

"No it's not," the brunette argues as she glances at a nearby clock. "It's not even-"

"Will you just go!" Noelle exclaims suddenly, causing the two teens to look at her in shock. For such a tiny woman, she definitely had a strong set of vocals. "Sorry, that came out louder that intended."

"It's okay," Troy says, shooting Gabriella an amused smile. "Before your boss explodes, what do you say to getting out of here and grabbing an early lunch?"

"She'd love to," Noelle says before Gabriella could even process the question. The thin Chinese woman turns on her heels and makes her way through the open door of the L-shaped counter. She rounds the corner and stops in front of the brunette. "Why are you just standing there?"

Gabriella steals a glance at Troy, who's biting back a laugh. She sets the check on the counter and reaches for her purse under the counter "That was weird," she says as they step onto the daycare's sidewalk.

Troy just nods as if it was nothing and offers his signature smile. "There's a diner two blocks over and through the park. Do you want to drive over or walk?"

She lifts her head to the sky and closes her eyes. The sun instantly warms her bare face. "Let's walk," she says when she looks back at him. He's still smiling and nudges his head in the direction of the diner. "So, how did the game go? Did you make it back in time for the third quarter?"

"Yes I did," he says, avoiding her gaze for once. "Wildcats came up on top- as expected."

She chuckles involuntarily as she thinks about her earlier daydream. If this conversation was set back then, their conversation would of been completely different. With a quick glance to the side, she sees that he's looking at her peculiarly. "Please excuse my behavior. I get pretty delusional without sleep," she half jokes.

"And what had you up all night? It's not like you were at some party till midnight."

"Oh, how was that by the way?"

"Just like every other high school party. Drinking. Loud music. Too many people in one room," he says without the slightest bit of excitement. "You're avoiding the question."

She looks down at the cracked sidewalk beneath their feet, causing her hair to act like a curtain. She doesn't want to admit everything to him, but there is something that she wants off her chest. "Gen was crying last night."

"You say that as if it's the most ridiculous thing in the world."

"That's because it is. I don't know if I told you this, but our dad passed away when I was 12."

"Adam mentioned it when I came to pick you up."

"Yeah, well did Adam tell you that Genevieve was the glue that held our family together?" She doesn't wait for him to respond. "I caught her crying last night for the second consecutive time. God knows how long she's been doing this. The same sister who had never shed a tear at our father's funeral was bawling her eyes out and I watched. It was absolute torture to watch her cry."

"Then why do it?"

"Because it's my fault that she's crying- that's she hurting. They have to put up with a teen when they should be focused on welcoming a new baby. Her daughter will never meet her grandmother and as absurd as this sounds, I made her an orphan. I screwed up her whole life. At the time, it seemed like the only thing I could do for her. Suffer a bit and witness her pain. To think that none of this wouldn't of happen if I never murdered my mom." She suddenly feels his grasp on her covered wrist. Her eyes trail up the length of his arm and finally settle on his annoyed face.

"Will you stop thinking about it that way?"

"What?"

"You didn't murder your mom. I really wish that you would stop saying that you did. The definition of murder is the premeditated killing of someone. Last time I checked, you didn't get into that car with the intention of crashing it. I get that you were the one driving the car that happened to crash that night, but please get it through your head that it was an accident."

Gabriella is stuck on how to answer this. His words hit her like a ton of bricks. She knows that he's speaking the truth and not just saying it to make her feel better. But the truth is something hard for her to swallow. She struggles to form a sentence and her eyes trail down to his steel grip on her slim wrist. She is instantly reminded of the way his jacket swallowed her thin frame the previous night. "I can bring your jacket over later."

He just shakes his head and release his grip slightly, allowing it to slide down to lace their fingers together. "Whatever," he mumbles and begins pulling her to the edge of the empty street. "Let's cross here."

After they cross the street, she expects him to drop her hand- he doesn't. Her mind wanders to the first time she held a guy's hand. First and foremost, it was awkward. Her hand was as stiff as a piece of cardboard; the air between their joined hands felt as sticky a Floridian day. It wasn't like that at all when Troy holds her hand. His palm was warm like a freshly baked cookie and his hand was gripping her lightly. She could easily jerk her hand out of his larger one, but like his hugs, she didn't feel the need to let go.

He stops suddenly, pulling her to a stop beside him. "I spy Chad and the rest of them over there. Do you want to walk back to the daycare and just drive over?"

She bites down on her lip as she looks between Troy and the group of friends on their path.

"The diner is just at the other end of the park."

"Then it would be a waste of time to walk back to the daycare," she says as she looks warily over at the group of teens. She spots Taylor, Sharpay and one more girl sitting in a circle. A few feet over, Chad, Zeke, and a blond haired boy are also sitting in a circle. "They look preoccupied. Maybe we can just walk a fair distance around them?" She tugs on his hand and leads him back to the edge of the park.

Just as she begins to relax, she hears Chad's distinct voice call their names. Troy sighs almost reflexively and slows to a stop. "If we just keep walking and pretend to not hear him, then he might literally charge at us."

She can't tell if he's joking, but decides not to test the theory. She feels him give her hand a squeeze and run a calloused thumb over her knuckles.

"C'mon, just say 'hi' and then we can be on our way," he says as he begins to tug her in the direction of his friends. They make their way slowly there- Troy practically dragging her the whole way. "Hey guys! Didn't see you there," he says when they are in hearing distance of them. He takes a seat on the grass and pulls Gabriella down beside him.

_This is awkward. _ She thinks as she forces a smile onto her face and offers a small wave of her hand. At a glance, four out of the six sets of eyes that land on her are familiar. They all greet her in their own way. The boys return to their card game. Sharpay and the curly haired brunette beside her move their focus to the iPod speakers in front of them.

Taylor stands and makes her way to Gabriella. "Hey, how's your brother-in-law?"

"What's wrong with Adam?"

This comes from Troy, who is looking at her quizzically. "He's sick and I had his medicine last night. Remember? That's why you brought me home." Her eyes plead with him to play along and he simply nods in understanding. "He's doing better though. Thanks for asking."

"Hey, I thought that you guys said you were going to the movies today," Troy says, drawing the attention away from Gabriella- which she is grateful for.

"We were suppose to, but Chad," Taylor pauses to glare at the afro of the man facing away from her, "messed up on the time."

"Goldfish!" Chad exclaims, oblivious to his annoyed girlfriend.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Troy, do me a favor and hit your best friend for me."

Troy happily obliges as he picks up a rock and hits Chad squarely in the shoulder.

"Bolton!" Chad scolds, dramatically throwing down the cards in his hands and turning around to glare at the blue eyed man. "Oh Gabs! Where'd you go last night? You missed me make the winning shot!"

Zeke chuckles and looks over his shoulder at Gabriella. "And that doesn't happen very often."

"It would if Hoops sat out more," Chad says. "No offense man, but I'm glad you didn't play in the second half."

Gabriella is now the one confused. She looks over at Troy with her head tilted to the side and her eyebrows scrunched up. "I thought you said that you made it back in time for the second half of the game," she says softly.

"I uhh..did," Troy stutters as he scratches the back of his neck and avoids her eyes. "Coach had me sit out for the second half."

"It was because of me, wasn't it?"

"No! Not at all."

The petite brunette turns to Chad and asks sweetly, "Chad, why did Troy sit out?"

"Cuz he wasn't there during half time to go over the plays," he replies as if it was obvious.

Troy groans and smiles apologetically at Gabriella. "It's not your fault- honest. It had nothing to do with you."

_It had _everything_ to do with me!_

"This one!" Sharpay suddenly exclaims as she turns up the volume of the speaker, much to the dismay of the other people in the park.

Troy clears his throat and reaches over to give Gabriella's hand a quick squeeze. He turns to the blonde who's now standing and bouncing around. "What's the music for?"

"Dance team." A perky brunette with curly ringlets responds as she turns around and looks directly at Gabriella. "Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Martha Cox!"

"Gabriella Montez," she replies absentmindedly, her thoughts still on Troy.

"Montez?" Martha echoes as she studies the brunette intently. "That sounds so familiar."

"Her sister is Ms. Moretti," Troy points out. "You're probably remembering her say something in English class about it last year. "

Gabriella watches as Martha shakes her head and waves Troy off, still studying her. Gabriella feels uncomfortable under her steady gaze. She bites down on her bottom lip as she feels her heart beating harshly in her chest. Seconds feel like years as they pass. They've captured the attention of their surrounding peers.

"Do you have a cousin at West High?" she asks finally, causing Gabriella's breath to catch in her throat.

"No," she struggles to say.

"Are you sure?"

She clears her throat and shifts uncomfortably on the ground."Positive."

"Because there was this Asian or Hispanic girl on West High's Dance Team that looks somewhat like you. The only difference is that she had straight hair with blue and blond highlights. I may not like West High, but I will admit that she was a phenomenal dancer. I think her name was Erin or Erica or Emma or Ellie or-"

"Ella," she corrects without thinking. Avoiding all of their stares, she looks down and begins wringing her hands. "It was Ella." It comes out in a rush, that she couldn't even stop the words from escaping her lips. She hears someone gasp and all she wants to do is run.

"You were on the Dance Team? You were nervous as hell when we sang on stage together, but you have no problem shimmying around in a skimpy outfit?"

As soon as Troy's words reach her ears, her head snaps up. She reaches over to smack him in the chest; sending dangers in his direction. "Our outfits weren't skimpy!"

"You're Ella Montez!" the girls exclaim collectively.

* * *

**A/N: **_Crap! _She thinks to herself. Okay so not really, but sort of. lol I know, I know. Another cliffhanger? "WTF?!" Well you see...This was originally another 3, 000 words or so, but I decided to cut it cuz approximately 4,500 words is running long by my standards. Plus, I'm not too satisfied with the 2nd half. So it'll buy me time to fix it. Time to go study for my semester exams. =( Thanks so much for your time and I hope you leave a lovely review. XD  
Much Love,_  
Kae xoxo_


	10. Before and After

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM and Twilight franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban, Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, Bloom by Elizabeth Scott, Sarah Dessen's books, It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, and John Green's Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines.

**A/N: **I finished this on Saturday so I could post it on Monday, but I'm only posting it now because my Mac went in for upgrades on Sunday and my cousin just dropped it off like 30 mins ago. =) Thanks again to _**xZANESSA4LIFEx**_, _**liv3. in. lov3**_, _**kaos2405**_, _**pumpkinking5**_, _**Tayweezy**_, _**xxfallblossomsxx**_, _**jj**_, _**Clembo29**_ and _**Sharkay**_. Enjoy dearies!

**to **_**pumpkinking5**_**: **Troy is just so amazing. This is probably my most favorite version of Troy that I've written. I know, I know. The Gen/Gabi relationship is so complicated with the whole one-sided blame game.I hope this chapter makes you as happy as you were for the last one. Thanks for the lovely review!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**: **lol It does not. If anything, it makes me a dork for even noting that you were my first reviewer of the new year. =) This chapter below is not as sad..in retrospective. Thanks so much for the support!

**to **_**jj**_**:** Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you're liking it and I hope you stick around for more!

* * *

_It's out there. _She thinks as she pulls her knees to her constricted chest. All of this attention is eating at her. Where's a good hiding place when you need one?

"Wait a minute," Chad says as he throws down the cards in his hands and turns around to get a better look at Gabriella. "Ella? As in the Ella from West High that Troy met over winter break?"

Zeke bangs his fist on the ground in some sort of agreement to his friends words. "You're the chick Troy was obsessing over?"

Taylor, having understood what the boys were saying, turns sharply to the cowering brunette beside her. "You let us trash talk you the other day and didn't say anything?"

"What are you doing at East High?"

"Will you join the dance team?"

"Why'd you transfer?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Gabriella has lost track of exactly who is talking, rather she wishes she could block out their voices. She hugs her knees ands keeps her head down. "My mom died," she says bluntly. It was one sentence, but that one sentence that they strained to hear was enough to shut them up.

"I'm so sorry." Sharpay's voice is soft, but it is heard well above the silence that surrounds them. She expects this from Taylor, but she is touched that those words came from the bubbly blonde. "I'm sure she was a really amazing person."

_She was._

Troy clears his throat and pushes himself off the ground. "Gabriella's actually just on her lunch break now. We better go and actually get lunch before she has to go back."

She can't bear to look at any of their apologetic faces as Troy gives her a hand to help her up.

"Okay, man. See ya later. Bye Gabs," Chad says and she can hear the forced enthusiasm in his voice. As they walk away, she can feel their sad eyes drill into her. She walks in a daze as he pulls her along, his hand clamping on hers rather stiffly. Her previous actions replay in her head and she imagines what she must of looked like to them.

_I looked mental._

"Gabriella, I'm-"

"Don't say it," she snaps as she pulls her hand out of his grip.

"How do you know what I'm going to say?"

"Ever since we first met, you have done nothing, but apologize. Okay, so not the first time we met, but recently. You have nothing to be sorry for. So just stop it! I brought this on myself. I can stop calling it murder to please you, but it doesn't matter because in the end, she's still dead. Everything is my fault."

"Is that why you cut? Because you feel guilty about what happened?"

"No, that's not it at all. It's because it's the only damn thing that I can control. Nothing has been the same since the accident and there is nothing that I can do about it. My own sister hates me and I hate myself for it," Gabriella pauses and takes a breath in awe of what she admitted. "As crazy as it sounds, cutting make me feel better. It's something concrete for me to hold onto. Not that I expect you to understand." She mutters the latter sentence and begins to walk away. She doesn't know care if she's going the right direction, she just wants to get away from him. There are a lot of things that she has told him that no one knows, but her latest confession is just the icing on the cake. Anger courses through her body as she stalks past a couple of children laughing. Why is it that she can't control anything that comes out of her mouth when he's within two feet of her?

"Wait a second," he says suddenly, jogging a bit to block her from walking any further. "What's your favorite color?"

"What?"

"I propose we have a normal conversation. One that is completely lighthearted and doesn't have anything to do with anything serious."

Gabriella stares at him for a few moments, internally debating if he was joking. She had just bared her soul to him and was about to stalk off, but now as he smiles easily, the tension in the air has dissolved. "I've never met anyone like you," she admits more to herself than him.

"Too bad I can't say the same thing about you. I mean, you're just like _everyone_ else in this world," he says with sarcasm dripping from every word.

It could be because of her delirious state caused by exhaustion or perhaps the ludicrous behavior she showcased earlier, but she laughs. Her eyes drift shut and she shakes her head from side to side, as if to literally shake some sense into herself. "God, your friends must think I'm crazy."

"Not crazy, remember? Unpredictable," he says with an amused smile. He begins walking backwards and she makes the unconscious decision to follow him.

"Orange."

"What?" he asks, stumbling a bit as he almost trips over a rock.

She sighs and runs a hand through her curly locks. "My favorite color is orange."

"Oh right," he says and she swears that she can see a slight blush creeping on his cheeks. "Favorite book? Let me guess, does it have to do with sparkly vampires?"

"Oh God, no. I was infatuated with the whole Twilight Saga for about a week and then I realized Bella is incredibly spineless and Edward's just odd. I'm more into realistic fiction, but it's hard to pick just one book. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, Bloom by Elizabeth Scott and all things Sarah Dessen top the list though."

"I'm guessing that they're all like chick flicks, but in word form."

"You guessed correctly this time," she says as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "Are you into books at all? Or are you too busy with basketball to pick up a book?"

"I'm not a huge book reader, but I do read if I have some time to kill. It's a tie between Looking for Alaska by John Green and It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini."

"John Green? I read An Abundance of Katherines by him last year. The writing was wonderful, but the plot was dragging in the beginning. It didn't really compel me to read more of his work. "

"I'm with you on that. I read that after Looking for Alaska and it was kind of a let down. It was good, just not amazing. Looking for Alaska, on the other hand, was phenomenal. It really helped me figure some things out."

"What was it about?"

"There's this kid named Miles and his life has been this long nonevent, so he goes to a boarding school in search of something call the 'Great Perhaps'. He befriends some people and one of the people is Alaska Young. Now, Alaska's described to be basically the perfect woman- literate, articulate, beautiful and adventurous. Miles falls really hard for her, but they can't be together because she's in love with her boyfriend back home. What's great about the book is that it doesn't really involve some romance. A big chunk of the book is about how they have a full out prank war against some other kids at the school. Anyway, the story is divided in to two parts: 'Before' and 'After' what is climatically Alaska's suicide or presumed suicide. It's like meant to show how big of an impact someone can have on your life. "

"Sounds depressing."

"That's kind of ironic coming from you," he comments, causing her forehead to crease. "You know, I think that you're Alaska materialized."

"How so?"

"The reason that they don't know if it's a suicide or an accident is because Alaska was a bit self-destructive to begin with as a repercussion of watching her mom have a brain aneurysm when she was eight. She was shocked and young, she didn't think about dialing 911. Her dad eventually forgave her, but she always carried that guilt."

"Is that what sparked the idea that I'm suicidal?"

"No, my anxiety towards that was fueled by something entirely different."

The detached emotion in his voice causes her mind to drift back to her conversation with the girls the night before. She clear her throat and glances sideways at him. "And that would be?"

"A story for another time," he says with what she perceives to be a forced smile. "We're keeping it lighthearted today. Remember?"

Despite the fact that she would much rather continue her interrogations, she nods in acceptance. Biting down on her lip, she crosses her thin arms beneath her chest and steps to the side to allow a cyclist to past. "What does a lighthearted conversation entail?" It's a peculiar question, but for Gabriella it's completely reasonable. Gossiping with the girls was easy. A few smiles here and a couple of "No way!"-s there and they were good to go. Talking to Troy was much different.

"Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"How much farther till we reach the diner?"

He smiles again; this time it reaches his alluring eyes. Taking a step closer to her, he points straight ahead of them. "Wanna race?" he asks, his grin growing wider.

"Not really."

"Awe, are you scared that it was beginner's luck the first time?"

"Of course not."

"Then you'd have no problem racing me, right?"

She rolls her eyes and uncrosses her arms. "I can't believe I'm doing this again," she mutters to herself as she begins to tie up her ebony curls with the elastic on her wrist. "Ready?"

"Just to the sidewalk, okay?"

"Got it."

"Go!"

Looking much like children playing tag, they begin their spur of the moment race with Troy in the league. There is no underlying motivation for her to beat him, other than the fact that it felt good beating him. She pushes herself to go farther and the tiredness from earlier is gone with the wind. Taking even breaths, she finds the strength to pass him. They reached the crackled concrete walkway in a matter moments with Troy just just a step behind.

"How did you get so fast?" he asks after he has steadied his breath.

"Practice. I had to stay in shape for dance, " she answers in a nonchalant tone as she readjusts the ponytail on top of her head.

"So, you really were a dancer?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" she says with annoyance written on her face as his eyes sweep over her body. She attempts to glare at him, but finds it hard to do when he looks abashed and turns away.

"Not really. I'm just surprised, is all." he says, shrugging and looking both ways before crossing the street. He stops midway and looks at her expectingly. "Are you coming?"

She nods and scurries to meet him.

"So, you can sing and dance," Troy comments as they reach the other side of the road. "If you add acting to that list, you'd be a triple threat," he jokes with an easy smile. He examines her face as he holds the door of the diner open for her. He notes that she nervously glances around and it's not because they are entering the warmth that was the corner diner. "You used to act, didn't you?"

Breathing in the sweet smell of cinnamon and apples, she meekly follows Troy to raised seats at the long counter. There weren't a lot of people eating now, but the warm atmosphere made it seem otherwise. She swallows the lump in her throat and says, "I might of participated in a few school productions."

"Wow. So far, you're sounding like Sharpay: the brunette version," he says as he hands her a menu. "Wait. Weren't you on the Decathlon Team too?"

"How did you know?"

"I think my mom mentioned it once or maybe it was your sister last year when she was telling us her life story. I don't know, but it doesn't matter." He shakes his head, then turns to Gabriella. "You _are_ Alaska!"

She frowns and sets down the menu on the counter in front of her. "Alaska the state or the character from the John Green book?"

"The character."

Tilting her head to the side and pursing her lip slightly, she then says, "How- You know what, I don't even want to know. Why don't we talk about for you for a change?"

Troy shrugs nonchalantly and crosses his arms on the counter, leaning forward. "There's not much to tell."

"C'mon. It's only fair," she says with a small pout.

He takes one look at her protruding bottom lip that makes her looks even more so alluring and sighs. "I've lived in Albuquerque my whole life. My parents got married young and divorced when I was five. They've always told me that it was a mutual decision; I guess I believe them. Mom married my stepdad when I was 13. He's a good guy and he's the one that taught me how to shoot a three-pointer, thus jump starting my basketball career. They had my half-sister a couple of months ago. The end."

"Did your dad ever remarry?"

"No," he says, looking down at his calloused hands. "He actually passed away two year."

The bitter confession strikes a chord with her. She knows that the normal thing to do would be to empathize with the other person because if anyone understands the feeling of losing a parent, it would be her. Biting down on her lip, her mind wanders back to when he blew up at her for moping that day in his room and of course Sharpay's words.

_It makes sense._

"You've probably heard it a thousand times, so I'm not sure if you want me to say, 'I'm sorry for your loss,' or any other generic sentiment." she says truthfully, as they slip into an awkward silence.

He clears his throat and picks up the menu in front of him. "What are you in the mood for? They have milkshakes here; they're really thick and creamy. You like strawberries right?" With such ease, he maneuvers them out of the dreariness that surrounded them.

Gabriella, on the other hand, finds it difficult to shrug off as she musters up as much enthusiasm as she could and says,"They're the best, but I'm not really hungry."

"When the food comes and you smell how good it is, then you'll be hungry," he says as he waves to one of the older waitresses.

"Good to see you again, hun," a red head in her early 60s says as she approaches them with a little notepad in her hand. Her heavily lined eyes fall on the thin brunette beside him and she smiles. "Now, who's this pretty little thing?"

"Gabriella meet Ginger and Ginger meet Gabriella. She just transferred to East High."

"Well, Miss Gabriella. You are just beautiful," the waitress says with the corners of her red lips turned up in a smile, causing the timid brunette to flush and offer a polite smile before returning her attention to the menu in front of her.

"What can I get you two? You want your usual Troy?"

"Thanks, Ginger," he says cheerfully and nudges the beauty beside him.

She looks up at him, slightly dazed. "Huh?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"Oh umm.. Just a burger."

"Do you want a side of fries or onion rings?"

"Fries, please."

"Oh and she wants a strawberry milkshake," he says, ignoring the way she shakes her in denial. "Yes you do. You're life will not be complete without one."

"Fine," she mutters as she shuts the menu and hands it to Troy, who returns them back into their holder.

"I'll go put your orders in and bring out your shakes," Ginger says with a smile and walks away.

"What's wrong now?" Troy asks with a frown. "You're not still thinking about what I said about my dad, are you? Because you know that you don't have to say anything about it. It's been about 2 years and I'm not in mourning anymore. Besides, it's not like you even knew me back then."

Shaking her head in denial, she lies through her teeth saying, "I'm just tired all of a sudden."

"It's probably because you're hungry."

"You're worse than Gen and Adam combined," she says whilst rolling her dark eyes.

"Speaking of Adam, why is it that he compared me to Edward?"

Gabriella laughs quietly as she could almost hear her brother-in-law's words in her head. "It's really stupid and not even close to logical," she says. "A better question is, where you really watching me sleep earlier?"

Troy raises a hand to scratch the back of his neck and looks away, a movement she has learned to mean that he's embarrassed. "I seriously thought you were sleeping," he mutters.

Her nose crinkles and she tilt her head a bit to the right. "That's kind of creepy."

"Okay, it's not like I took pictures of you that I'm going to put up in my room. I came in and I honestly could not decided if I should wake you up. Then your boss came in and made it sound so much more than it really was."

"Whatever you say." A smirk tugs at her lips and she looks down. Out of the corner of her eyes she notices that the salt shaker was on its side with its cap off, the sand like grains spilling out. Impulsively she reaches out to pick it up, throwing a bit of the white substance over her shoulder before screwing that cap on. When she looks up, she notices that he's looking at her with a small smile. "What?"

"You're superstitious," he says in an accusing tone and a teasing smile on his lips.

"Well, not really, but sort of," she says as she starts wringing her hands. "I just figure that if it doesn't really bring me luck, then whatever. It can't hurt, right?"

"Totally," he says with a warm smile. "That's why the team and I have a pair of lucky socks for big games. Speaking of, I never thanked you for coming last night."

"Did I have a choice?"

"You could of left when you found out who we were playing, but you didn't."

"I didn't even stay, so I don't know why you're thanking me."

"I'm thanking you because I know that it was hard for you and it means a lot to me that you even attempted to stay for the whole game," he says and places his hand over her joined hands.

A sly smile slips onto her lips and her eyes dart down to where their hands were now entwined. Gabriella doesn't know what to say to Troy's genuine confession. She feels the smallest sliver of joy that she did something right. More so, she did something that made him happy after everything she's put him through. For a moment, she has forgotten what brought her back to Troy in the first place. To the surrounding customers, she assumes that she and Troy look normal; that they don't see her as seemingly depressed. She imagines that this is what it could of been like if they returned to Albuquerque and reacquainted themselves with each others.

"And Gabriella?" he says, making her head lift and causing his mesmerizing eyes to connect with her brown ones. "I don't know if I mentioned this already, but I'm really glad that you haven't hurt yourself lately."

"Oh. I- uhh..thanks," she mumbles, looking away abashed. The room suddenly feels much warmer and so she slips her hand out of his grasp to push up the dark gray sleeves of her cardigan. She pulls the cuff of each sleeve towards her elbows, stopping just below the unmarred skin of her wrist. Catching sight of a particularly dark scar, she asks, "How do you put up with me?"

"You don't make it all that easy, but I don't know, I think you're kind of worth it," he says with a smile that makes girls swoon, but Gabriella merely shakes her head at him.

"Well, I think that you're a big softie," she teases; finding the courage to look up at him with a small smile.

Their tender moment is interrupted by Ginger bringing their milkshakes. She sets a dark, creamy substance filled glass in front of Troy and sets a pink one in front of her. Before walking off to another customer, she showcases her warm smile and mumbles something about their lunch being right out.

"Go ahead, have a sip," Troy encourages, gesturing towards the frosty glass in front of her. "It's the best thing you've ever had."

She picks up the bright red cherry sitting on the cloud of whip cream and holds it up to him by the stem. "I don't like cherries."

He lets out a dramatic gasp. "What's wrong with you?" he asks rhetorically, shaking his head in mock disapproval. He opens his mouth and looks at her expectingly.

"What are you? Two? I am not feeding you," she says firmly and plops the cherry on to the whip cream topping his chocolate shake. She gingerly wraps her hand around the chilled glass and raises the neon pink straw to her lips. She sucks on the tube and the fruity, thick liquid fills her mouth. "That's really good," she says when she sets the glass down after a few more sips.

"I told you," he says smugly before drinking his own milkshake. "You want to try the chocolate?"

"I'm actually not a big fan of chocolate."

"That's it, you're officially weird."

"Oh jeez. Thanks."

"What _do_ you like?" he asks, blatantly ignoring the sarcasm that dripped from her every syllable.

She shrugs and merely nods her heads towards her milkshake. "Strawberries."

"How about chocolate covered strawberries?"

"Those are an exception," she says as if it was obvious.

"You're so weird," he teases as he picks up his milkshake and makes a show of drinking the creamy substance. "Yum! Yum! Chocolate," he says with a boyish grin on his face, causing her to laugh.

They continue to draw the attention of the surrounding diners with their loud laughter. She supposes that no one complained about them because they seemed like relatively harmless teens. In the midst of their impromptu lunch, Gabriella pauses to steady her breath from laughing so hard. Looking around the diner, she observes that there was a mixture of ages and varying sizes of groups. At one of the larger booths, she spies a group of what looked like high school students. Her brown eyes suddenly come in contact with the perky redhead from Chemistry and she assumes that it's jealously that fills the redhead's eyes. And why wouldn't there be jealousy? Troy was probably the most selfless person the planet. Spending a homestyle lunch with the gorgeous basketball captain made her realize how incredibly lucky she is to have him still want to be around her. Yes, the prospect of falling for him was quite frightening, but that didn't mean friendship was completely out of the question. Right?

_I'm done pushing him away._

* * *

**A/N:** She made progress!! Anyone else happy? I know I am. Oh and if you are ever looking for a good book to read, I highly recommend the books mentioned in their convo (also listed in the disclaimer). They are all my favorite books, especially John's books. Speaking of reading, I gotta go read 30+ pages of The Poisonwood Bible and other homework. Oh joy. Thanks so much for reading and I've written like a third of the next chapter.  
I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter. XD  
Much Love,_  
Kae xoxo_


	11. Where It Started

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban or The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

**A/N: **So sorry for the wait! It was my birthday Monday and then I just haven't been feeling well. Fours of sleep each night is starting to take a toll on me. Thanks again to _**Sharkay**_,_** kaos2405**_, _**pumpkinking5**_, _**Tayweezy**_, _**inawe**_, _**xZANESSA4LIFEx**_, _**Bridget1297**_, _**AerisTifaYuffie**_,and _**xxluvstruckxx**_. I hope this chapter makes up for the long-ish wait. Enjoy!

**to **_**pumpkinking5**_**: **Thank you for the sweet review! I'm glad that you liked the flow of the chapter. Her emotions are so erratic. It's nice to get the reassurance that the way the chapter is constructed actually works. Sorry to keep you waiting and thank you for the continual support.

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**: **lol "amigo" That made me laugh for some reason. =) Thank you for the awesome review. I'm glad you liked that chapter. By the way, you're wish will be granted soon enough- that's all I'm saying. ;) Thanks so much for everything!!!

* * *

**April 12, 2010**

"Hey Noelle! I'm standing outside of the daycare. Why is the front door locked?" Gabriella stands awkwardly on the sidewalk with the cell phone that she rarely uses pressed against her ear. She readjusts the strap of her messenger bag as she nods into the phone, resisting the urge to ram her head into the door in front of her. How could she have forgotten? "No, don't worry about it. I'll just see you tomorrow." Shutting her phone, she spins on her heel and looks to her left and right. On a normal day, Adam would pick her up on his way home or Noelle would drop her off. Today is different though. The buses have already left the school. She could walk, but she feels as if she is baking in the sun. Her fingers are itching to call Troy and she almost does, but she remembers that he had basketball practice. Surely he won't mind her waiting for him.

_We have to work on our Chem project anyway._

When she steps into the East High Halls, it becomes clear that the school is practically empty. Her hands feel empty now that her phone is in the safety of her bag. She sticks her thumbs into front pocket of her jeans, reminding her of the folded sheet of paper occupying her right pocket. A sigh escapes her lips as she slips the crisp paper out and unfolds it. Her Spanish teacher, Mrs. Clark, had given it to her at the end of class. Over what should of been an easy test, is a giant 'F' marked in crimson ink.

_Genevieve is not going to be happy when she sees this._

It's not that she didn't know the material because she did. It's the fact that she had a hard time focusing. Further more, Gabriella isn't worried about the grade ruining her GPA. Rather she is filled with a wave of self-hatred for having to let down her sister once again. This is what she is thinking about when she suddenly collides with another body.

"Sorry!" they exclaim at the same time.

The blood drains from Gabriella's face as the voice righteous exactly who she ran into. With her brown eyes wide open, she looks up stuttering, "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. Genevieve, are you okay?" She is absolutely mortified that she almost knocked her five months pregnant sister on to the ground.

Genevieve merely looks surprised as she straightens out her gray blazer. "It's fine. You barely moved me, considering you're like half of me. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the daycare?"

"Normally yes, but I forgot that Noelle had a doctor's appointment today so the daycare's closed."

"In that case, we can go home together and maybe stop for groceries."

"Actually-"

Gabriella is cut of by a boisterous voice that echoes through the halls. "Genevieve, is that you? " Both girls turn around to see a medium skinned Trinidadian woman heading their way, her brown eyes look up to study her sisters reaction.

Genevieve's face crinkles as she squints to look at the other woman. The creases that formed on her face smoothes out and her eyes light up as the woman comes to a stop in front of them. "Anu! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know, I know. It's been too long." Anu says as they exchange a side hug.

"Gabriella, this Anu. We went to high school and part of college together."

Anu stares down at Gabriella with her big brown eyes. "Gosh, little Gabi's all grown up now. I bet you're giving those West High boys a run for their money."

"I don't-"

"Gabriella lives with me now and had thus became a wildcat," Genevieve interrupts. It's a strange confession and one may assume that it would raise questions. It doesn't and Genevieve feels no need to elaborate.

"Oh my, how things have changed. It must be a blast to live with your sister. I can't imagine my parents ever letting me move out at your age. So tell me. What else has changed in the past year or so?"

The way Gabriella sees it, Anu is a ballon filled with cheer. Now, as she anticipates Genevieve's answer, she imagines the absolute horror that should fill the other woman's features. Sure, she does not want her sister to be forced to say those dreadful words, but it has to be done. How could you not mention the death of your mother?

"Nothing really, just pregnant."

_That's it?! _Gabriella thinks to herself. It takes everything in her power to not double over in shock. How could she regard the death of her mother as nothing? She looks over at her sister and for once, _she_ is disappointed in _her_.

Anu laughs and gives Genevieve's stomach a quick pat. "Congratulations! You're glowing! How far along are you?"

"Awe, thank you. I'm almost six months."

"Girl or boy? Or are you and Adam keeping it a surprise?"

Gabriella observes that her older sister is indeed glowing. Here tan skin projects a warmth that raises the temperature in the hallways. She notices that her sister is speaking perfectly normal with not even the slightest trace of sadness. No longer is she concerned about pleasing her and walking on eggshells around her. Are these feelings fueled by the heat of the moment? No, they've been festering like a blister. She is sick and tired of Genevieve pretending that nothing has ever happened. At the moment, she hates Genevieve as much as she hates herself- almost.

"Where are my manners? How's your mom doing?" Anu asks, pulling Gabriella from her thoughts. "You know, it's because of her that I made it so far at the hospital."

The brunette looks up at her sister expectantly. There is no avoiding the truth to this question. She is curious to see how her sister handles it. Will she come right out and say it? Say that her little sister is a murderer? That her little sister murdered their mother?

"She always knew that you had the potential to succeed."

Anger boils from within Gabriella after she hears her sister's solemn words. It's what sends her off the ledge of rationality. She wants Anu, this virtual stranger, to know the the truth. More so, she wants her sister to react. To finally react how normal people would. For Genevieve to finally express how angry she is at her. But what can she say?

_Sorry Anu, you're really sweet, but I think there's something my dear sister has failed to tell you. Our mother is dead. And you know the best part? I was driving the car that killed her. That's why I live with Genevieve and her husband. Yes, it's so effing amazing living at a place where you're hated._

But alas, Gabriella does not have the guts to say it. Maybe in the past, she would of had the courage to do it. She listens in annoyance as Anu rambles on and on about her job at the hospital. Clenching her fist, she is reminded of the test in her hand. "I need you to sign this!" The words come out in such a rush that she's sure that it sounded like gibberish. She shoves the paper into her sister's hands and says, "I need you to sign that. I need my _legal guardian_ to sign it." If this had been any other day, she would feel guilty about rubbing it in Genevieve's face that she is no longer just her sister in the court's eyes. She watches in bittersweet triumphant as her sister's face turns sour. Her eyes shift to Anu, who obviously missed the key words- the whole reason for her frantic actions.

"Do you have a pen?" her sister asks calmly.

This was not the reaction she expected. At the very least, she expected her sister to scold her for such a poor mark. Sighing, she reaches for a pen in her bag and hands it to Genevieve. "I think that I'm gonna go now," she says when her sister hands back her things. She is done with all of this.

"Go? Go where?"

Gabriella nearly laughs at her sister's sudden concern. She starts walking backwards, not caring if she was actually headed in the right direction. "I'm going to meet up with Troy and see if we can work on our Chem project. It was nice meeting you, Anu." She pivots and walks away before her sister could even stop her. As she rounds the concern she tries to remember where the gym was. The last time she was there, she entered and exited in such a haze. It doesn't help that the lockers that line the hallway were pretty indistinctive. Suddenly, the sound of consistent pounding fills her ears.

_Lucky me._ She thinks as she comes to a stand in front of the open gym doors. Cautiously, she steps into gyn and sticks close to the bleachers in hopes of entering without being seen. She stops suddenly and walks back to the doors. Smiling in satisfaction as she spots him, she pulls out The Catcher in the Rye to keep her occupied. She is so engrossed by the required reading that she doesn't notice she suddenly has an audience until something hits her knee. Looking down from the book, she realizes that it's a basketball. A shadow is suddenly casted over her and she looks up to see an awe struck Chad looking at her. "Hi," she says shyly as she sets down the book.

"Hey Gabs, does Troy know that you're here?"

"No," she says, her face burning in embarrassment.

"Do you want me to get him?"

"I can wait till practice is over."

Chad opens his mouth to say something, but is cut off by a third voice. "It's orange and round," says a deep voice that she has gotten to know as Zeke. He quickly approaches and is equally as surprised when he sees Gabriella perched on the floor. "Oh. Hey Gabs! Didn't see you there."

The brunette rolls her eyes and says, "That was kind of the point."'

"Dudes, what is taking so long?"

Gabriella bites down on her bottom lip as she hears Troy approach them. It only occurs to her now that perhaps Troy didn't want to see her. That worry disintegrates as she notices that Troy is smiling at her. Like a reflex in her knee, she smiles back easily.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he says softly when he wedges himself between his 2 friends.

"I forgot that I didn't have work today, so I was hoping that you would be up for work on our Chem project after practice."

Troy signals for Zeke and Chad to walk away, which they do, taking the basketball with them. Plopping down on to the floor in front of her, he hesitates before saying, "I'd love to-"

"But?" she presses, her voice an octave higher as she is suddenly aware that he is shirtless. Can you blame her for noticing his perfectly shaped abs? She looks away, cheeks flushing at the prospect of being caught.

"But practice doesn't end for at least another 45 minutes," he says as he glances down at his watch.

"I'll wait," she says a bit too eagerly.

"While the guys and I wouldn't mind showing off to a beauty such as yourself, Coach has a 'closed practice rule'."

"Oh," she says somewhat abashed.

"You want to go wait on the rooftop and I'll come get you when I'm done?"

"Sounds perfect," she says as she gets up, dropping her book.

He bends down to pick it up and hands it over to her. "Just in case you don't know your way from here: go straight down this hallway and make a right."

"Thanks, I'll see you later," she begins to walk away when he tugs on her hand.

"Wait a minute. Don't I get my hug?"

Gabriella tugs her hand out of his gip and teasingly fans the air around her. "Maybe after you've showered," she says, walking away and leaving his laughing self behind.

***

***

This is where it started; where she was stupid enough to let him take that first step. It is here that she was her most vulnerable. Shouldn't she absolutely despise this place for impacting her life so much? As odd as it sounds to even her own ears, she doesn't hold any hatred towards the calm garden on top of East High. In the comfort of the rooftop garden, her eyes are shut in content. Sweet memories of her past play in her head. A time when her parents were alive and her sister didn't hate her. Life seemed so much simpler back then. These thoughts should bring her to tears, but instead she feels numb. It doesn't hurt her like she expects it to; like she _wants_ it to. Why is it so bad to want to create your pain when you feel like all you're doing is breathing in this world?

The distinct creaking of a certain white door carries up the stairwell. Gabriella lifts her head from the backing of the bench and reaches towards the sky. Pushing off the bench, she runs a hand through her dark locks and makes her way to the metal railing overlooking the steps. This is where she stood not a week earlier before the whole revelation. But the thought doesn't even cross her mind as she spies Troy making his way up. Now it hits her. How could she repulsed by a guy one week, then the next actually anticipating his company?

"Hey, you ready to go?"

Her head whips to the side and there is Troy in all his glory. His brown hair is matted to his head with beads of water falling from several ends. Simply nodding, she separates herself from the railing and makes her way to the bench to retrieve her bag.

"Do I get my hug now?" he asks with a sly grin as they turn to make their way off of the wooden platform. "I'm squeaky clean."

She stops and studies his boyish grin. How could she say no? Hesitantly, she steps forward and wraps her arms around his midsection. She instantly feels his strong arms cage her to him and his signature smell engulfs her.

"I like hugging you."

Gabriella laughs at his random confession and she feels slightly embarrassed. She detaches herself from him and attempts to push away, but his arms just slips to her waist and holds her there. "You know, you're gonna have to let me go if we're going to get out of here. "

He lets out a sarcastic laugh and lets go of her. Taking her hand in his, he begins to pull her down the stairs. They walk to the parking lot in a comfortable silence. Troy, being the perfect gentlemen that he is, opens the door of his white truck for her.

She nods in thanks and waits patiently for him to make his way around the front of the truck. "Where do we even start with the project?" she asks as he puts the key into the ignition and brings the car to life.

Shrugging as he pulls out of his parking spot, he says, "I'm not really sure." They pull up to the intersection that connects to the main road. He turns to her as they wait for the street light turn red. "Do you have the rubric with you?"

She pulls her messenger bag to her lap and rummages through its contents. Finally, she finds the crumpled papers at the bottom and straightens them out. "Shit!" she exclaims as her eyes scan the back paper several times. "We still have to actually carry out the experiment! We haven't had time to go to the store to get all of the materials. How-"

"It's a good thing that I did the exact same project for my 8th grade science fair."

"What good does that do us?"

"I may have my trifold presentation and its digital copy that won second place in the science fair and first place for the Chemistry category," he says in a nervous tone.

Gabriella feels her face scrunch up and she turns to him. She has the urge to hit him. So she does. With the back of her hand she smack his shoulder with as much force as she could muster.

"Hey!" Troy says as he lets go of the wheel with one of his hands and rubs the spot she hit. "What was that for?"

"You had all of that info and didn't tell me anything? Do you know how much time and effort could of been saved if you mentioned it earlier?"

"If I had mentioned it earlier, then you wouldn't of stuck around."

Gabriella shakes her head from side to side and is about protest when he cuts her off.

"Don't even try to deny it. You all but admitted that you hated me."

She bites down on her lip and turns to look out the window at the blurring images. The green of the trees blur into the neutral toned buildings. Of course she can't argue with what she knew was true and hearing him say it made her feel embarrassed. She wasn't exactly proud of how she treated him. Looking back, she realizes that he didn't deserve any of it. Her eyes wonder to the side-view mirrors and catches sight of a sleek black car trailing behind them. After watching it silently for a couple of turns, she decides to speak up. "I think we're being followed," she comments to break the silence and gestures to the rearview mirror.

He tears his eyes from the road for a second to see a glimpse of what she's referring to. A slight chuckle escapes from his throat. "That's just coach."

"Coach?" she echoes. "As in your basketball coach?"

He makes a sound of agreement as he eases the truck around the street corner.

Turning in her seat so that she can watch the black Audi follow their lead, she asks, "And he's following us because?"

"I don't know," he begins in a light tone, "It might have something to do with him being married to my mom and fathering my sister."

The pieces come together in her head as she turns 180 degrees to look at him, "Your coach is your dad?"

"Stepdad," he corrects in a sharp tone.

She murmurs a brief sorry, heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. "Do you always refer to him as coach?" she asks to change the subject.

"Stepdad doesn't exactly roll of the tongue. I never called him 'dad' when my dad was alive and I'm sure as hell not gonna do it now that he's six feet under. It's not that I don't like coach. He's a pretty decent guy when he's not on the court. But he's not my dad and he never will be. I don't care if he adopted me as his son and changed my last name. I am not his son. Damn. That was probably more than you bargained for," he mutters the last bit to himself.

Gabriella watches as his knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. Hesitantly, she places a hand on his toned forearm. "I don't mind you doing the storytelling for once," she says softly.

"Sorry. Words just seem to fall out of my mouth when I'm around you."

_I know the feeling._ She thinks as she withdraws her hand, she faces forward and joins her hands on her lap. Sighing, she stares at the road in front of them as they fall into a thick silence. How is it that he could render her speechless as easily as he could make her say anything? They come to a halt at an intersection that she knows divides the roads between their houses.

"Are you sure that you want to work on the Chem project? You could go home and enjoy your day off since we don't have a lot to do. I me-"

"I don't want to go back to Gen's house." The words slip from her lips without a second thought. Swiftly looking over at him, she says, "At least not yet." She expects him to bombard her with questions or carefully word his response to coax her into admit what was bothering her- he does neither. Her eyes meet his and she acknowledges the acceptance in his eyes and its accompanying nod. She returns his slight smile as he turns onto his street.

To her surprise, the sleek black car is waiting in the driveway of the Bolton residence. Troy pulls up beside it and quickly comes around to her side to open her door. She steps out of the truck carefully and instantly feels a set of eyes boring into her. Looking up, she is met by the hard stare of a man with dark blond hair and an athletic physique.

"Hey Coach!" Troy greets warmly as he shuts the door behind her. "I thought you were going to the sports shop?"

"I am, but I forgot the head of the pump that I needed to replace," the older man says as he glances between the two teens. "Who's your friend?"

Troy places a hand on her lower back and urges her forward. "Coach, this Gabriella from school."

"You work at the daycare."

It was a statement and she knew it. Studying his face, she sees that it is indeed familiar. The man bares no resemblance to Troy, which she really shouldn't be surprised about. "Yes I do," she stutters. "It's nice to formally meet you Mr. Bolton."

"Please, call me Jack or if you're more comfortable, Coach." Jack says politely. "Your Genevieve's sister, right?"

Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she nods in confirmation. _Oh, gosh. He knows._ She thinks as his gaze softens and he suddenly looks at her with pity.

But that is only for a second as his face wipes clean of emotion. "So what are you kids up to?" he asks in what she assumes is his normal tone.

"We've got a Chemistry project that needs some cleaning up," Troy says.

"Good luck with that. Your mom should be home soon," Jack says as he begins to walk past them. "It was nice to have finally met you, Gabriella," he says as he opens the door to his black car.

"Likewise," she responds simply. "I don't think he likes me," she says as they watch the car pull out of the driveway.

"Look, don't take it personally. He doesn't like anyone that could potentially distract me from basketball."

She bites down on her lower lip and looks up at him. "Was that suppose to make me feel better?"

Troy shrugs nonchalantly and pulls on her sleeve. "Let's go inside. I'm hungry," he says with a boyish smile, resembling a little boy on Christmas morning.

An involuntary smile slips onto her lips. Oh the things he makes her feels.

***

***

"This is actually a decent report," she says as she looks up from the laptop screen and up at Troy standing at her side. She is sitting at his desk with her legs tucked beneath her.

"I'm going to take that as a complement," he says proudly as he chews on his second slice of cold pizza. "Are you sure that you don't want some leftover pizza?" he asks as he holds the food closer to her face.

Gabriella takes one look at the withering pineapple chunks and crisp ham slices and scrunches her nose is disgust. "No thanks, I don't like my fruit cooked."

"What do you think strawberry jam is?"

"That's different," she says quickly.

"You're such a picky eater," he replies with an eye roll before taking another bite of the pizza.

"Am not," she mutters as she returns to the screen. "I can work on reformatting the charts and graphs you have on here and you can start the layout of the poster board. You bought one, right?"

"Crap!"

She groans in response and resists the urge to stand up and hit him on the backside of his head. "One thing! I asked you to buy one thing!"

"I know, I know. I'll go pick one up now," he says with a mouthful of pizza. He places a hand on her shoulder when she begins to stand up. "No, you can stay. It'll be quicker that way."

Before she can come up with a proper protest, Troy is exiting his bedroom with his keys in his hands. Sighing, she returns to the laptop screen and begins her work. Gabriella is unaware of how much time has passed, but she soon hears the opening of the garage door. "Troy?" she calls out softly, "Is that you?" She hears the door slam shut and heavy objects dropping onto the floor. Curiosity gets the best of her and she quietly gets up from the desk. Taking quick steps, she scurries across the room and peers her head around the edge of the doorframe. Her mouth drops and she suddenly resembles a deer caught it headlights as she sees just who is standing at the end of the hallway with a baby carrier in her hands. She momentarily forgets to breathe and she finds it difficult to move. Besides, it's too late for her to retreat- she's been spotted.

"Oh, hello there," the woman says kindly as she approaches. "Is it safe to assume that you're a friend from school?" In the light of the hallway, Gabriella can see the resemblance between mother and son in their eyes and the shades of their hair. Lucile's eyes appear kinder than her voice and while she seems surprised by the other female's presence, she doesn't seem the bit put off. "I'm Troy's mother, Lucile," she says as she extends her hand after putting down the baby carrier.

"Gabriella," she mutters as she shakes Lucille's hand. She waits for the name to register in the older woman's head. Surely Troy has brought this up to his mom by now. "I'm Troy's Chemistry partner," she says finally when Lucille makes no indication of the name having any meaning. Silently, she thanks Troy for not sharing her secret with his mother. "He went to pick up the poster board that he forgot to buy yesterday."

"Ahh, of course he forgot," she says in an amused tone. Soft cries echo in the hall and the women are reminded of baby Sydney on the floor in her carrier. "Oh sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lucille asks in a baby voice as she bends down to pick up her little girl. The crying ceases immediately and she places a tender kiss on the infant's head. "Would you like to hold her?"

Gabriella nods and reaches for the outstretched infant. Cradling the infant in her arms, she rocks from side to side.

"I think she likes you and she usually doesn't take to strangers."

"Technically I'm not a stranger," the brunette says, not daring to lift her head. "I work with Noelle at the daycare."

"I thought Cindy was the name of Noelle's coworker."

"Cindy works during the first half of the day and I work for a bit after school and handle some paperwork."

"In that case, I'm taking full advantage of your presence," Lucille says with a slight chuckle as she picks up the empty carriage off the ground. She turns to enter Sydney's room, flicking the lights on. "I can't believe I've never at least run into you at the daycare."

Gabriella keeps her head down as she places Sydney in her crib. She turns back around to the older woman who is leaning agains Sydney's changing table.

"You look familiar," Lucille muses as she studies Gabriella's face. "I just can't place."

Gabriella feels her breath catch in her throat. Her heartbeat quickens and she wants nothing more than to run. She watches as Lucille's eyes seem to light up and her smile widens.

"Goodness gracious!" she exclaims suddenly as she steps closer. "It's you! Oh dear, were you trying to see how long it would take me to recognize it's you?" Not a single drop of anger or annoyance is infused into her voice.

The brunette resists the urge to shut her eyes in attempts to make it all disappear- if only for a moment.

Lucille embraces her as if she was the prodigal son that had return after sinning. She lets go and holds her at arms length. "Oh look at you! Shame on Troy on not letting me in on this secret. Your move explains why your house number wasn't working. How is your mother? Why don't you give her a call and we can have a nice dinner?"

The sincerity of Lucille's voice cuts through her like a knife. Her mind drifts back to earlier with Genevieve and Anu. Like Anu, Lucille was a joyful woman with the kindest eyes. She didn't want to be the one who drops the bomb that ruins this woman's mood. "I-..She-...There-...It was an accident," Gabriella stutters as softly as possible.

"Oh I'm so sorry sweetheart," Lucille says as her eyes seem to darken and she places a comforting hand on the smaller woman's shoulder.

Gabriella swallows the lump in her throat and finds it difficult to speak.

Twelve hours. She had been awake for less than 12 hours and she endured more emotions that she thought she could handle. Here she stands with her shoulders back, arms loose at her sides and not a single harmful urge in her mind. But is this new found strength as permanent as death? Or is it like the onset of one of her sharp and powerful slices that will eventually fade?

* * *

**A/N:** I don't like that last paragraph, but I couldn't think of a way to end this first half of the day because I actually had to split this chapter in half. I'm sorry again for the wait. Good news is that I have a 3 day weekend so cross your fingers for a Monday update.  
Thank you for reading and please review!  
Much Love,  
_Kae xoxo_


	12. Still Here

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N:** I know what you're thinking, "How did a 3 day wait turn into a 3 week wait?" And here's the answer: school sucks and I wish Pages had auto-save or I at least remember to press save more frequently. In short: sorry! Thanks again to _**xZANESSA4LIFEx, Tayweezy, UnwrittenSpeech, Bridget129, pumpkinking5, **_and _**Clembo29**_. Oh and thank you to everyone who has added this story to their Favorite Stories list. It means a lot to me. And here's the chapter we've all been waiting for! Enjoy!

**to _Tayweezy_:** Hey! lmao Glad you though the last chapter was "hm hm god" (did you mean good? I'm just going to assume you did. =D) Anywho, yes, Troy loves his hugs, especially when they're from her. Eek! I'm to crush your hopes of getting this out earlier. Better late then never though. and haha.. thanks for the birthday greeting! Thanks for the awesome review! Hope you enjoy this chapter! XD

**to_ pumpkinking5_:** "Wow!" is right. Yeah, the last chapter was a lot for her to take in. Genevieve was pretty cold in the last chapter. Keep in mind that, it wasn't so much that she found out Lucille knew her mom (because Gabriella met Lucille and Troy in the same night on New Years Eve ), it was more that Lucille didn't know about the accident. Thank you so much for all the support and I'm loving that you're enjoying the twist and turns of this story! XD

* * *

Gabriella watches Lucille as she sips on the warm mug in her hand. She observes the way Lucille coddles the baby in her circles around the kitchen's island. In a few months she'll be watching her sister do the same exact thing with baby Maria. Lucille and Genevieve were two completely different people, but they had one thing in common- they were mothers. It's such a simple label with so many different meanings and responsibilities.

"Please help yourself to the cookies, Gabriella," Lucille says as she places Sydney in her playpen. The woman, essentially the female version of Troy, sits down in front of her and joins her manicured hands on top of the glass table. "Sweetheart," she begins softly, "what exactly did you mean by an accident?"

The brunette takes a swig of the tea that somewhat seems to burn her throat. She lowers her head, not willing to look into those blue orbs called eyes. How could she tell her? She had basically broken down when she had told Troy and now, it pains her to think about the accident. Her eyes drift shut and she can picture getting into the car on that cold night.

With her eyes still shut, she begins to voice her words carefully. "We were in the car and another car swerved in our lane." Her voice is steady and she feels a sense of pride for being able to control her feelings. Feeling a bit stronger, she opens her eyes and dares herself to look at her. "We- she - didn't stand a chance," she struggles to say.

"Oh sweetheart," Lucille gasps, "I'm so sorry."

She's heard it time and time again over the years, but it changes nothing. Politely, she nods and takes another sip of her tea. The images of that night still play in her head and she wills them to go away.

"Where are you living now?"

"With my sister and her husband just a couple of blocks over," she says as she attempts to focus on the hot liquid in front of her.

"That's so sweet of her to take you in."

_Sweet? Take me in? You make it sound like I'm some stray dog. God dammit! I'm her sister and yet she treats me like a stranger most of the time._

Despite knowing that Lucille meant well, something about the older woman's words strike a chord with her. A power struggle begins with her as the images in her won't stop. She is jostled out of her thoughts when she hears something crash. To here ears, it's a fainter version of the metal frame of a car crushing. The warm mug slips from her hand, causing it to shatter, and she jumps to her feet.

The images begin to play and she's torn between picking up the broken mug and saving herself.

"Are you alright dear? Oh, look at that! Your shirt is all wet."

"I'm so sorry," she stutters as she backs away from her mess.

"Don't worry about it, dear. Things break all the time in this don't you go into the bathroom and clean yourself up?"

Without a moment of hesitation she rushes around the corner and into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she slides down into the fetal position. The shattering of the mug echos in her ears and mix with imaginary sound of glass cracking.

_Why do I break so easily?_

She places her head on her forearm and attempts to focus on her breathing. The images play in her head in reverse, beginning with the shattering of glass. They won't stop, no matter how hard she wishes them away.

_I should of grabbed a piece of that broken mug._

Seconds. Minutes. Maybe hours pass before she hear a soft knock and Troy's voice through the door. She struggles to stand, but when she does, she yanks the door open and clings to him.

He stands momentarily stunned before wrapping his strong arms around her.

The images and the noises in her head don't vanish instantaneously, but as she uses him as her anchor to reality, they slowly fade away. Is it possible that she needs his hugs just as much as he needs hers?

-

-

Four hours later found Troy and Gabriella on his bed with a pizza box separating them, the television providing their background music.

"I scarred them away," she mutters before taking a bite of her pineapple and ham pizza.

"No you didn't. They like eating out every often because mom isn't the world's best cook. Don't take it personal," he says as he reaches for his second slice of pepperoni pizza."How can you eat that? Cooked fruit on a pizza is disgusting."

"Delicious is what is. All I need is some ranch dressing and this would be the best thing on the planet. Don't knock it till you try it," she says as she picks a pineapple off of her slice and aims it at him. "Speaking of which, you should really try eat more than just pizza all day."

He dodges the fruit piece while scrunching up his face in disgust and throws it in the pizza box. "Fine, we'll get Chinese food next time."

"Who said that there will be a next time? We finished the whole project, didn't we?" she says with a smirk. "Besides, I'm allergic to sesame seeds."

"What if I 'accidentally' got pizza sauce on it? Then we'd have to start over. Oh and good to know, because if we did order Chinese, I would of ordered sesame chicken."

"You better not or I just might not speak to you again. If you did order sesame chicken, my face would of swelled up to resemble a puffer fish. Believe me, that is not a pretty sight."

"Awe, I bet you would be a cute puffer fish."

"Oh yeah, because an accumulation of fluid in my face is so attractive," she says dryly.

"Okay, maybe not," he says before taking another bite out of his pizza.

"Want to try some?" she asks as she holds the end of her pizza to him.

"No, I'm good."

"It's really yummy," she practically sings and leans over the pizza box to bring it closer to his mouth.

"Bring that any closer to me and I'll smear pizza sauce on your shirt," he tells her menacingly as he moves out of her reach.

Gabriella simply shrugs, completely unfazed. "Go ahead, it's not like it's my shirt. Okay, your stare is kind of making me uncomfortable. Especially with you smiling like that," she adds the latter sentences as his eyes scan her upper body.

He looks away, cheeks tinted with red. "Sorry, it's just weird to see you in my shirt. You're like drowning in a sea of plaid."

"I know, and I thought your letterman jacket was big," she muses as she shoves her left sleeve down to get a better grip on her pizza.

"Here, let me fold your sleeve," he says as he sets down his own pizza and holds his hands out for her. "C'mon, it's just me," he coos when she looks at him hesitantly.

Sighing, she sets down her pizza and gives him her arm, like she did when he cleaned up her cuts. She watches as he carefully rolls the plaid material up, stopping at three fingers width of exposed skin. "Thanks," she mutters as he drops her thin wrist and reaches for the other sleeve to treat it the same.

With the exception of her parents, never in her life has someone cared for her like this. The tenderness that Troy shows her, makes her even more uncomfortable than his smirking gaze. Her eyes drift around the room, taking in ever square inch that was his bedroom They settle on a wooden box with 'World's Greatest Dad' painted on the side in green paint. She turns back to him, lifting an eyebrow. "You're not forgetting to tell me that Sydney is really your daughter, are you?"

He looks baffled, mouth opening and closing sever times before he says, "What?"

She points across the room to the shelf that held several sports trophies and the single wooden box. "It was among the trophies, one can only assume tha-"

"It's not mine," he says quickly. "I mean it is, but it wasn't for me. It was for my dad for father's day. My dad was a carpenter and so he built stuff all the time."

"Sounds like the opposite of my dad. He barely knew how to change a tire and that's only because my mom taught him." She pauses as her words echo in her head. "Does it get easier?"

"Does what get easier?"

"Talking about your dad. I know that this seems like a silly question because I did lose my dad like four years ago and so I already know what it's like to a parent. But it's different this time around."

"What makes this time any different?"

"Because I had my mom and sister as my support back then. We laughed and cried and just reminisced on our favorite memories of dad."

"You still have your sister to do all that stuff with,"

"It's not the same. She doesn't treat me the same as she did back then. It's funny, our dad's death brought us closer together and our mom's death drove a wedge between us. I wonder who has to die now to bring us back together."

"Have you always been this negative?" he asks with a slight frown gracing his features.

Pausing for a moment, her mind drifts to an earlier time in her life. She finds it hard to paint a clear picture of just who 'Ella' was. That part of her life is clouded and blurred- entirely too far for her to grasp. "I'm not really sure, but it doesn't really matter because this is who I am now."

"Okay, let me rephrase that: do you have to be so negative? It doesn't hurt to look at things from a different perspective every once in awhile."

"Well, I'm sorry," she says sharply,"I can't think of a single way to make my mother's death into something positive."

"I didn't mean it like that. I just-" He cuts himself off with a groan of frustration. "You are so difficult to talk to!"

"I can leave if you want," she offers, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed.

"No! Don't," he says firmly, grabbing her by the elbow. "I'm sorry. It's just that in the back of my mind, I'm always worrying about if I'm saying the wrong thing."

"Troy," she begins softly as she turns back to him, "you should know by now that there is no telling what will set me off. Earlier, it was the sound of metal crushing followed by the mug braking. Those little noises were enough to send me into that little panic attack you walked into in on in the bathroom."

_It's the little things that make it all too real._

He looks at her thoughtfully, an almost guilty expression gracing his face. He clears his throat and reaches back into the pizza box, picking up her slice of pizza and hands it back to her. "I think we've reached our quota of how much seriousness we can take in a day," he mutters as she timidly takes the pizza from him. "Wanna watch a movie and just get lost in it for awhile? You know, escape reality?"

Gabriella considers his offer for a bit. It has been a long day and she can't even remember the last time she allowed herself to enjoy a movie. She let's out a huge sigh, finding it somewhat annoying that she allows herself to bend to his every whim. "Want do you have?"

He smiles triumphantly and practically bounces off the bed. "Close your eyes."

Her eyebrow raises and she tilts her head to the side. Maybe she doesn't bend to his every whim. "Excuse me?"

"Turn away from the television at least."

She obliges, chewing on her pizza. "Just don't put any horror flick, okay?" she tells him as she feels the bed move, leaving her to assume that he was getting up.

"Don't worry, I think you'll like what I pick," he calls from outside of the bedroom.

The next thing she hears is heavy footsteps as he walks back into the room, the DVD player opening, the television momentarily silencing, then.."The Parent Trap?" Not believing her ears, she turns around to see the opening credits of her favorite movie with Troy standing by his television smiling.

"Surprised?"

_Yes! He remembers what my favorite movie is after four months?_

"Why do you even have this movie?"

"It's my mom's goddaughter's favorite movie. She left it here when she came down for a visit," he says as he studies her reaction. "I did it again, didn't I? We can put in a different movie if-"

"No, no. This is great!" she says with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. She can't help, but smile at his thoughtfulness. Settling onto his pillows agains his backboard and a smile on her face, she moves the pizza box to make room for him. "It's just what I needed."

Troy celebrates his success by pumping his fist in the air and jumping onto the bed, causing a giggling Gabriella and the pizza box to bounce. "Excellent," he says with a grin as he positions himself beside her.

-

-

"Ohmygosh! This movie is so gory!" Gabriella screams as a thick red liquid squirts from the main actor on the screen.

"That's really ironic coming from you," he muses as he glances up at her from where his head rested on her lap.

"Shut up," she says with a quick glare. "It's need about the blood. It just looks so fake and..gosh...How can you watch this?"

"Because I find it really amusing."

"What part? When a quart of red paint is pouring out of a stab in his shoulder?"

"That and your reaction," he says with a smirk, causing her to roll her eyes.

"How much longer until this over?" she asks as she looks anywhere, but at the screen. "Why is there no clock in here?"

"I knocked it off my nightstand- by accident."

"Of course you did," she mutters and strains her ears to hear the distinct sound of a garage door opening. "Oh crap. Your mom's home."

"So?"

"Well, let's see. I was here when they went out for dinner and I'm still here now that they're done."

"Troy, we brought you some food!" Lucille calls as she walks down the hall with Sydney in her arms.

"Get off me!" Gabriella says in a harsh whisper before Lucille pops her head into Troy's room. But it's too late because Lucille now stands in the doorway with Sydney perched on her hip.

The older woman studies them carefully, hiding her surprise well as she watches the petite brunette move from beneath her son. "Oh, Gabriella. I didn't think you'd still be here."

"Sorry, we kind of lost track of time. Literally." He gestures to his broken alarm clock on his nightstand.

"Well it's nearly 10:45 now."

"And that translates to: 'Troy, you should really take her home now'. We hear you loud and clear, mom."

"I hate to be the parent in this situation, but it is a school night."

"We understand, Mrs. Bolton. So sorry, to overstay my welcome," Gabriella apologizes as she attempts to hide her reddening face.

"No, no you aren't dear. In fact, why don't you and your sister and her husband come over for dinner next week. It seems silly that we always see each other at the groceries and homeowners meeting, yet we've never had dinner together. I guess it's because she was Troy's teacher and it would of just been awkward. But now that you two are dating- "

"We're not dating," she says quickly.

"Oh," she says as she looks between the two of them, confusion in her eyes. "Well, you three should come over anyways."

"That'll be nice."

"Okay, I've got my keys. Let's get out of here," Troy says as he already has one foot out his door.

"I'm sorry for the mess in the kitchen," she apologizes once again as she hoists her bag onto her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Have a good night, dear."

"You too. Bye," she mutters as she silently follows Troy through the house and out the front door. "What happened to your trash can?" she asks as they reach his truck and spot the crushed silver bin.

"That was the crash you heard earlier," he says as he scratches the back of neck with one hand and holds the car door open for her with the other.

"Oh," she says as she slides into her seat and he slams the door.

"Ready to go home?" he asks as he sticks the key in the ignition and begins to back out of his driveway.

_Hell no!_

"You seem anxious," Troy muses as they turn on to her street. "What is it that you're avoiding?"

"It's nothing," she fibs quickly as she looks down the road and watches as the house gets closer and closer. "It's just late and a school night. I forgot to call Genevieve and tell her that I was going to be late."

Troy's truck pulls to a stop in front of the Moretti house. He turns to her and asks, "Do you want me to come in with you? Maybe it'll help."

She tucks a loose curl be hind her ear as her eyes try to map out his face in the dark. If she squints hard enough, she can see his blue eyes starring at her intently. Shaking her head, she says, "You being there might make her want to talk more." Because Troy Bolton absolutely loves her hugs, she briefly gives him a side hug that lasted no more than two seconds. "Thanks again for dinner and putting up with me today," she says as she edges closer to the passenger door.

"Anytime," he says with a smile that could light up the night.

Gabriella shoves the door open and she hops out, closing the door quietly behind her. Five steps. Five steps across the luscious green grass was all she took before running back to the truck. Without even asking for permission, she gets back in the truck and slams the door. "I don't care where you take me. I just can't enter that house yet." The words stumble over each other and she cannot bare to look him into the eyes.

He shifts the truck into drive and manages a U-turn. Silence wraps around them as they drive back to his house. Like the gentleman that he is, he helps her down from the truck and takes her by the hand to lead her to the back of the house. "Wait here," he says just as they enter the back gate.

_What the hell am I doing here?_ She thinks as she watches him retreat through the darkness. Suddenly she regrets not being able to make it through the front steps. Why must she be so weak? She is so close to banging her head into the wooden gate when she feels a hand on her lower back. A scream is on the tip of her tongue just as she hears his soothing voice.

"C'mon, I know the perfect hideout." Troy's hand drops from her lower back and grasps her hand. With a flashlight in hand, he leads her through the massive Bolton backyard, pass the concrete basketball court and small garden. They come to a stop at the base of an elaborate tree house. Wordlessly, he gestures for her to scales the wood steps first.

"Wow," Gabriella breathes when Troy joins her at the top, flicking on a battery powered lantern. The tree house is reminiscent of a house with a wrap around porch. A thick rope is what stops them from falling off the wooden platform. The actual inside of the tree house was simple with cushions dispersed freely on the floor. It wasn't amazing, but it felt safe.

"Make yourself at home," he says as he makes his way to a series of jumbled ropes. "This is the best part of being up here."

She watches as he pulls on one of the ropes and above them, the roof opens up, to reveal the twinkling stars above them. It's been awhile since she took the time to just look up at the shining night sky. "Cozy little hideaway you have up here," she compliments as she collapses onto one of the cushions.

"Yeah, well my dad helped me build it when they told me that they were splitting up," he says, getting a distant look in his eye. "He wanted it to be a place where I could escape to and just forget about everything. You know, just a place to disappear to for awhile."

"Wish I had a place like this growing up."

"Yeah, it was pretty sweet," Troy says as he abandons the rope mechanism and makes his way to a large plastic bin with a matching white lid.

"What's in the box?"

"Books."

"Awe, are you afraid of what your friends would think if they knew you were a bookworm?" she teases as she pushes herself off of the cushion and makes herself over to him.

"Maybe."

"If being a bookworm is part of who you are, then you shouldn't be ashamed of it," she says as she lifts the lid and begins to rummage through the bin.

"So, is it safe to assume that you aren't ashamed of being a cutter?"

But she doesn't here him because she is too stunned by the two books she holds in her hands- one black with red lines layered over the sing-worded title and the other a stark white with mock grey blood splotches in one corner a red slice opposite of it. A single word joins the contrasting book covers: cut. Flipping them over, she quickly skims the summaries. As suspected, both books are about cutters. "What are you doing with these?"

"Some people read for enjoyment. I read to understand and for the occasional enjoyment." His nonchalant tone contrasts greatly with the edge in her voice.

"Does it help?"

"Sort of. I mean, for the most part I can empathize with the characters. That's the great thing about first person narratives. You get a look into a person's brain and see everything how they see it," he says as he takes the books out of her hands. "Which brings me back to my original question: are you ashamed of being a cutter?"

She sighs and keeps her hands busy by ruffling though the rest of the bin. "No, but I'm not exactly proud of it either." Picking out a random book, she reads the back cover. Suicide-pack? She asks herself before picking out another book. Again words such as 'depression' and 'suicide' pop out at her. The covers are worn, signifying that they weren't new purchases like the other two books.

_I wonder what he was trying to understand with these._

"Although they are two completely different things, that's kind of how I feel about reading. It's just something personal that I don't think needs to broadcasted to all of East High."

Gabriella nods understandingly and shuffles through the books some more. "Got any books about dealing with a bipolar sibling?"

"Thinking about giving it to your sister?"

She lifts her head, narrows her dark eyes at him, and then turns on heels to make her way back to the cushion she previously occupied. "I wasn't talking about Genevieve. Well I was, but not in that way." She falls back onto another cushion so that she's looking up at the night sky.

"Does this have anything to do with why you're putting off going home?"

"In a way, yes. I failed my my Spanish test."

"So you're afraid that your sister will flip out on you?"

"I wish! That would of been better."

"I'm not following."

"Before I went to the gym, I ran into Genevieve then we an into one of her old friends. She acted as if nothing ever happened. Like everything was perfectly fine."

"Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Because everything is not fine! For God's sake! She completely ignored that our mother was dead. I wish you were there to hear her. She regarded her death as nothing!"

"Maybe you're reading into this wrong. Think about it. Maybe she wanted to spare you from having to talk about it. Or she just didn't want to turn a chance encounter sour."

"Oh and I suppose you think it's sweet that she took me in too."

"You lost me again."

"Earlier when I had that talk with your mom, she said that if anything happened to her or Coach then she would hope that you would take her in. It was sweet of her to do so."

"I suppose it is sweet, but I'd image it to be pretty difficult too. But wasn't she sort of expected to take care of you?"

"So, you're saying that she felt obligated to take me in?" she asks with an eye roll as she tries to make herself comfortable on the cushions. "Jeez, that makes me loads better."

"No, no. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that she's your sister and she loves you, why wouldn't she take you in?"

She bites down on her bottom lip and allows her eyes to drift shut as she thinks about his words. She's never looked at it that. "If you were Genevieve, do you think that you'd ever be able to look at me the same way? Could you still love me?" She hears his heavy footsteps and can sense that he came to sit by her.

"I don't know where you're getting all of these ideas from, but I don't doubt that your sister loves you."

"But, how can she? I ruined everything for her?"

"You didn't ruin anything."

"You don't understand. She was practically handed a teenager and told, 'Here you go. You're the parent now.' Instead of going from point A to point B with her daughter, she went from point A to point X. She's going to be walking into parent-teacher conferences with a screaming baby in her arms. Do you think she really wants that?"

"Of course she doesn't want it, but half the things that happen in life isn't exactly what we want."

"I think we're spending too much time together. You're beginning to sound like me," she says as she hears his chuckle and heavy footsteps come closer. Cracking an eye open, she sees him looking down at her with a thoughtful expression. She suddenly feels like she's a micro-organism under the scrutinizing gaze of a microscope. Immediately regretting it, she snaps her eye back shut and pretends that he wasn't there. She sees why he loves this place so much. Like her balcony at Genevieve's house, it was easy to make yourself feel invisible up here. "Thank you for sharing your hideaway with me."

"You know, you're the second girl that I've had up here. The first being my mom."

"Well, don't I feel special?"

"You should," he mutters to himself, but tells her,."It's always here for you when you need it. Just like me."

Gabriela knows that she should thank him for such kind words, but she finds it hard to speak as she feels his feather light touch brush down the side of her face.

_He is just so...sweet._

-

-

"Thanks for walking me home," she says as they come to a halt on the front steps of the Moretti front steps. "You really didn't have to."

"Gabriella, you should know by now that I did have to," he says with an easy smile. "Are you ready to face your sister?"

"It's late, so I'm kind of hoping that I can ignore the whole situation. Well, for today at least."

"Good luck with that. I'll see you in the morning. Want me to swing by and pick you up?"

"Yeah, that'll be great."

Troy opens up his arms to her and she happily obliges, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "Night," he mutters into her hair and squeezes her tightly before releasing her.

The world around them seems to stand still as she smiles up at him. Again, she imagines what onlookers might think. They look so normal, wrapped up in each other's presence. Perhaps if it were a different place and a different time, then this wouldn't of been such a platonic exchange. She drops her arms from his waist and takes a step back, crossing her arms under her chest. "Be careful," she calls to him as he descends down the front steps. "Call me when you get home. You know, so that I know you got back safely."

Troy turns back to her and in the faint light of the street lights, she can see his ever-present smile. He raises his hand to his forehead in a mock salute and waves before turning back down the street.

Gabriella waits until he rounds the corner before fishing her key out of her bag. She is careful to not make a lot of noise as she steps into her sister's house. The hallway lights are on, as well as the kitchen's. Her ears strain to hear even the faintest of sounds, but all she hears is the air condition running.

_Thank God._

The fifth step creaks as she makes her way up the stair steps, catching her off guard.

"Gabriella?"

It is Adam's voice she hears first. Pivoting on the step, she makes her way back down the steps and towards the kitchen entrance where she drops her bag. Stopping in the doorway, she is surprised to see Adam and Genevieve sitting calmly at the dinner table.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? "

"I'm sorry, we lost track of time."

"Obviously," Genevieve snaps. "And that grade on your Spanish test. Did you think that I would forget?"

"Mrs. Clark said that I could make it up." Gabriella stutters, nervous about her sister's tone. "That their would be some extra credit I could do."

"That's not the point. You could probably teach that class and yet you still failed."

"I don't know that happened. I knew the material. I just freaked."

"Maybe it's not a good idea for you to be working at the daycare anymore. If you're having trouble balancing the two, then-"

"No!" She cuts Genevieve off quickly, her words sinking in, causing a burst of panic to erupt in her body. "I can handle them! You can't force me to stop working there."

"Yes I can."

"Stop it! You're not mom!" she screams, catching herself off guard for her bluntness. But not nearly as much as what comes out of her sister's mouth.

"Yeah, and who's fault is that?"

Gabriella's hand flies to her mouth as Genevieve's razor sharp words slice through her train of thoughts. Each syllable cuts deep, but its meaning completely shatters her. She doesn't notice the way her sister's face pales, nor the way Adam looks back and forth between the two of them. All that matters is her sister's confession. She had always speculated that her sister hated her and blamed her, but she still carried a tiny torch of hope that her sister loved her. If it weren't for the wall behind her, she would surely collapse.

"I didn't mean it like that, Gabriella," Genevieve stutters as she pushes away from the table.

Her eyes drift close as she attempts to block the impending images from her head. "Yes you did," she croaks as she pushes herself off the wall. She opens her eyes just in time to see Adam helping her sister stand. The swell of Genevieve's stomach glares at her, as if confirming its mother's words. She's had enough and heads for the stairs without a second thought.

Gabriella can feel her heart beating wildly in her chest as she storms into her room, effectively locking her door behind her. The noise is too loud for her as she slides down the door and pulls her knees to her chest, burying her face into the folds of her sweater. It's not just Genevieve's and Adam's voice that is overwhelming her, but the screech of tires. The melancholy sound of the car's frame crushing. The bone chilling sound of her mother's scream. An insistent ringing blends with the array of sounds and she shakily straightens her legs to ease the phone out of her pocket. The screen glows with a familiar name and she doesn't hesitate to answer it.

"Hey! I didn't wake you, did I?"

Despite the fact that the phone is pressed flush against her ear, his voice sounds like it's miles away. Her eyes are shut tight in desperation for an ounce of control. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

"Gabriella?" Troy asks with concern lacing his voice.

His voice comes out stronger, but it's not enough to cleanse her mind of the horrid thoughts. "Yes." She manages to breath out the monosyllable with much effort as she pulls her knees back to her chest.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?"

"No," she breathes weakly as she struggles to stand.

"Okay," Troy says slowly.

Staggering over to her nightstand, she takes sharp breaths as she rummages through the overflowing drawer. It takes her seconds for her fingertips to grip the thin metal. Gabriella presses her back to the box spring of her bed as she listens to his even breathing. The crushing of a car is no longer the only thing pulling her under. Images begin to form in her head. First she sees the bright lights heading straight for her. Then she sees her mother's face intact, but her eyes glazed over and her mouth open. She can't wait any longer.

Gabriella pushes up her shirt. She poises the blade over the scarred expanse of her lower abdominals. The tip of the blade pierces her skin, causing her to gasp from the pain. With firm pressure and a steady hand, she draws a thin line on her stomach. Blood seeps through the path that the blade has engraved. As she lifts the blade from the smooth surface, she remembers to breathe.

The pictures still haven't stopped so she takes a sharp breath before the repeating the motion over and over again. Each slice is deeper than the last and finally the scene - noise and all - begins to fade. When the blade has finished its job, she drops the blade and examines her handiwork through half-closed eyes. Droplets of blood contrast with her pale skin. She suddenly feels weak and lowers herself to the cold floor.

"I'm still here," Troy reminds her through the phone. It's not condescending or demanding- just an anchor to keep her to reality. His breathing is steady and she does her best to match his pace. Her eyes drift shut in content and she clutches the phone for dear life. The silence that echoes in the room is comforting her like a security blanket. As the final element to lull her to a dreamless sleep, she focuses on the steady breathing over the phone.

Gabriella's life was far from the picture perfect scripts written for television: no father, no mother, no love from her sister, nothing that really matters. But in this moment -drugged by the feeling of her cuts and lulled to sleep by the melodic breathing of the only person who might possibly care- everything was perfect. Or at least close to it.

* * *

**A/N:** *bites nails* How was that? I know that was a lot to take in, but I needed it to build things up to that last scene.  
On another note, for some inconceivable reason, the chapters seem to be getting longer. Was it better when I broke down chapters so that it's like half the length of this?  
I think I caught all the errors, but because I don't write in sequential order, I might of missed something. Sorry!  
Thank you for reading and please review!_  
_Much Love,_  
Kae xx_

p.s. As of the moment I post this chapter, my pen name on here will be changed from _**KKK-DouBLe-KaeKae **_to**_ KaeSquared_**.


	13. Too Much

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban, Hannah Montana franchise, Keanu Reeves' movies Hardball and The Replacements, and Rice Krispies.

**A/N: **Hey! I wish I could of gotten this out sooner because the amazing response for the last chapter was really well..amazing. Lol Considering this story's track record, I never thought that a chapter would get into double digits for reviews. Thanks again to _**Tayweezy, XXbestfriend1XX, sillymeggo, xxluvstrukxx, xZANESSA4LIFEx, Bridget129, pumpkinking5, zan lil, inawe, vanilla902, AerisTifaYuffie, Sharkay, **_and_** hsmhsm**_ for proving me wrong. XD Enjoy!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**: **lmao Is it so wrong that I love the fact that I made your hands sweat and your heart racing? =P Glad you're liking the longer chapters! Uhgg..I know. Trust me, I felt terrible for having to deprive you of Entwined. This only took 10 days to get out. That's not so bad right? Thanks so much for the lovely review! Hope you enjoy this chapter! XD

**to **_**pumpkinking5**_**: **I love it whenever I can make someone have a reaction like yours. It's strangely satisfying. =) Yeah, that was pretty intense chapter and it served its purpose of providing that insight into Gabriella's train of though. I'm so glad that you enjoyed and it was unexpected. Thank you for the continual support! XD

* * *

**April 13, 2010**

"Gabriella? Are you in here?"

Gabriella can hear a distant voice and light steps being taken on the hardwood floor. She blindly shuts off the cordless phone beside her and strains her ears to hear the voice again. The sound of her bed squeaking reaches her ears as weight is transferred on to it. She slowly opens her eyes as they adjust to the sunlight filtering through her balcony doors. Her body feels sore and she realizes that it's not only because she spent the night on her bedroom floor. She attempts to sit up and ends up groaning instead as the waistband of her jeans rub against her stomach.

Her bed squeaks again and hurried steps follow. She opens her eyes as she clutches her stomach to see Troy standing above her with a friendly smile. Millions of questions fill her mind as he stands above her. What was he doing here? Who let him in? But those thoughts were cut short as she noticed that his smile slipped off his face and his face pales. "Hi," she finally whispers because that's all she can manage to say.

"I thought you only cut your arms!"

Gabriella is taken aback by Troy's outburst. She looks down at her exposed stomach and sees the clotted blood against her pale skin. Irritation sets in, initiated by the tone of his voice and her sore abdomen. She forces herself to a sitting position on the floor, ignoring the shooting pain in her lower abdomen. "I said that I _mostly _cut on my arms!" she says with as much force as she pushes herself off the floor. "Like it makes a difference." The glint of her blade on the floor catches her eyes and she doesn't hesitate to pick it up. But she instantly regrets it as she groans and clutches her stomach.

"Hey, careful," Troy says in a demanding tone as he immediately grips her shoulders and brings her back into a standing position. "Go lie down on your bed," he says as he turns to walk in the direction of the bathroom.

Gabriella is shocked by his sudden change in demeanor, but nonetheless obeys.

"Actually, it does," he says when he returns with some supplies.

"Uhmm…What?"

Troy sets the tube of antiseptic, sterile wipes, and bandages on the bedside table near Gabriella's head. He then proceeds to walk to the other side of the room and drags her desk chair to Gabriella's bedside. His body sinks into the chair and for a moment, he just stares at her stomach. "Your stomach provides at least twice as much surface area than your forearms. So, yes. It does make a difference." He finally lifts his blue eyes to meet her brown eyes.

Gabriella takes in his appearance. She can see his red plaid boxer shorts peeping out from the waistband of his dark jeans. The white shirt he wore outlined the muscles he achieved through basketball training. His hair seems to be a shade darker than what she usually sees, probably because it was wet. Then she noticed his eyes. The blue irises shine with an intensity that make girls swoon, that wasn't new. What draws her in are the purple bruises forming under his eyes. She bites down on her lip and she can't help, but feel guilty about last night's call.

"Do you mind?" he asks as he reaches for the buttons on her shirt. When she shakes her head, Troy carefully unbuttons the lower half of the shirt so that at least five inches of her stomach shown.

"You really don't have to do this," she say as Troy pales. Gabriella thinks that he might actually throw up.

"Please, it hurts for you to sit up. How are you going to hunch over your stomach?"

"I could always stand in the mirror," she suggests as she stares up at the ceiling, her hands laying awkwardly at her sides. "I've done it before." Her eyes slowly close and she has urge to drift into unconsciousness for three days straight. She can feel him sweep a sterile wipe over the surface of her skin in light strokes. Even as he spreads the antiseptic cream, his calloused fingertips are gentle. She can't help but flinch as the antiseptic sinks into the fresh wounds. The only time he applies pressure is when he smoothes the three by four inches bandage over her abdomen.

Troy finishes tending to her wounds and button up the shirt over the bandage skinned. His eyes lift up to her face and notices that she has fallen asleep. For once, she seems at peace to him. He raises a hand and gently runs the back of it down her smooth cheek. "Oh, Gabriella," he says as he moves to hover over her and places a kiss on her forehead. "What am I going to do with you?"

***

***

Gabriella wakes up in a daze, her head's spinning as she finds herself looking up at the ceiling. _Was it a dream? _She asks herself. For a moment, she forgot where she was and that this wasn't her home. That she couldn't walk down the hallway and into her mother's embrace.

The events of last night come rushing back to her as she shuts her eyes to adjust to the sunlight filtering into her room. She remembers Genevieve's words and the look of utter disgust accompanying it, Adam's shock, and of course, Troy's voice lulling her to sleep.

_I wish that I hadn't woken up._

She isn't ready to face the repercussions of last nights, but what is she afraid of? It is midday and there is no Genevieve or Adam to try to avoid. Perfect. She can't even fathom what would happen next. Maybe she could move out or take a vow of silence. Running away is always an option. No one would miss her.

Gabriella gingerly pushes herself off the bed, wincing a bit at the pressure on her lower abdomen. Outlining the edges of the bandages, she remembers how gentle Troy was and how repulsed he looked when he saw her engravings.

_I scarred him away._

Maybe that's a good thing. She doesn't know what to say to him either. Where does she begin? 'I'm sorry if I worried you,' doesn't seem to cover it. Pushing these thoughts away, she makes her way downstairs while buttoning up the plaid shirt that didn't belong to her.

To her surprise, she hears the sound of the kitchen sink running. Curiosity and anxiety overwhelms her as she tiptoes to peak around the corner. She expects to see the back of Adam's cropped hair, or even Genevieve's straight locks. But that's not what she gets. Washing the dishes at the kitchen sink of the Moretti home is Troy Bolton.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asks in a steady tone. She doesn't know if she should be happy, angry or even freaked out that he is here.

The soapy mug slips from his hands, landing with a clunk inside the metal basin, and a profanity slips from his lips. His muscular body swivels around, soapy hands flying in the air as if he was surrendering. Shock fills his cerulean eyes and he tries to cover it by forcing a smile. "Hey Gabs! I didn't hear you come down. Rice Krispies?" He gestures to a pan of the rice cereal and marshmallow treat.

She repeats her question once more; this time with a firmer tone and her hands poised at her hips.

He turns back to this sink to wash the suds off of his calloused hands. "There's a note for you on the kitchen table," he tells her as he wipes his hand on a dish rag.

Turning away from him, she walks towards the note and to where her laptop was currently set up. In Adam's blocky handwriting, she reads the note to herself.

**Hey Gabriella,  
I didn't bother to wake you, not to mention your door was lock. You've been working hard to get things back to normal. It wouldn't kill you to play hooky. I'll just make you a note for school tomorrow. Look, I know that we're all at a really weird place right now. Last night was pretty rough. But I want you to know something. Regardless to what Gen said last night, she doesn't blame. She's pregnant and moody. She yells at me for the most random crap and then start crying. It's the pregnancy. I swear. Just know that she didn't mean it. I know she didn't. We love you and we're proud of the progress you've made. There's food in the fridge if you get hungry or cook something if you feel like it. Just make sure you eat something today, okay?  
Talk to you soon,  
Adam**

She wants to believe that her brother-in-law's words were true, but she finds it hard to. Genevieve's words laced with her emotions, play vividly in her head, overshadowing Adam's letter. Desperate for a distraction, her eyes shift over to the glowing screen. Her eyes quickly scan the various windows, he had open and she bites down on her lip. "You think I'm depressed?" she asks as she hunches over the screen to read bits and pieces of the article.

"Shit. Don't-"

"What is Cutting? Self -Injury: Types, Causes and Treatments. Secret Shame: Self-Injury Information and Support. How can I Help a Friend Who Cuts? Understanding Depression: Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Help. About Bipolar Disorder..." She trails off from reading the titles of the Web-sites and turns back to face him. "You think I'm depressed." This time it came out as a statement and he knew it.

He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his silky locks. "No, I don't think you're depressed. I was just looking up random things on Google while I waited for you to get up."

"I'm not depressed," she says quietly. Who was she trying to convince?

"Okay," he says slowly.

She feels as if he is mocking her and agitation rears its ugly head once again. Still facing him, she reaches behind her and slams the laptop shut. "Troy, what are you doing here?"

"Do you really have to ask?" he snaps at her and she can see the fire in his eyes. "I call you - like you asked – and you sound like you're in pain. I ask if you want me to come over and you tell me no, but to stay on the phone. I come over to pick you up, but Adam tells me that you're sick. He lets me into go check up on you, but lo and behold: your door is locked. Do you know how freaked out I was? So, I wait till Adam leaves so that I climb up your goddamn tree to check up on you and find you on the floor. Not only have that, but I now known of another place that you cut." He pauses, slightly out of breath from his rant, and looks straight at her. "You want to ask me again why I'm here?"

Guilt washes over as she squirms under his cold stare. "You shouldn't be here. You don't have to worry about me," she mutters.

"I know that I don't have to, but I do it anyway. Besides, there was no way in hell I was going to go to school without checking up on you."

"Well, I really appreciate it, but I'm fine," she says stiffly and spins in a circle for him. "See? I'm all in one piece."

He scoffs and raises his hands in mock-defeat. "If you're going to do this to me, then I'm done. Why should I even bother? I'm being really patient here and putting up with all this crap you throw at me. Just when I think you're letting me into your head-"

"She blames me," she interrupts flatly. She rids herself from any emotion as she pulls out a chair and collapses onto it. "Genevieve blames me for our mothers death."

"We've gone over this before. It's not-"

"The last living member of my family _hates_ me."

"She doesn't-"

"Don't you understand?" she asks sharply as he makes his way towards her. "I fucked up her life. She hates me and probably wishes that I was the one that died."

"That can't be true."

"You didn't hear her last night."

"Maybe you didn't hear her right," he says softly as he kneels in front of her.

Gabriella shakes her head. She refuses to analyze last nights conversations. Experiencing it once was more than enough for her to handle. "I'm sorry if I made you worry," she says as she looks down at her lap, a slight blush graces her cheeks as the consequences of her actions finally hit her. "It was really sweet for you to check up on me like this. Jeez, why do you have to be so nice?"

He places a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Would you rather me be a stereotypical jock who only cares about himself?" he asks with a soft smile.

She returns his smile and shakes her head. Her eyes take in his slightly dampened shirt and she is remind of what she had walked in on earlier. "Why were you washing the dishes?"

Now Troy is the one that looks embarrassed. He clears his throat and says, "I made Rice Krispies treats and figured that I might as well wash the other dirty dishes."

"Uhmm...Why were you baking in a house that's not yours?"

"I wasn't baking. I just used the stove top and some pans."

"Were you having some dire need for marshmallow treats?"

"No, they're for you. My mom used to make them for me when I was having a bad day. I figured that you could use the pick me up. I didn't know how else I could help."

She is rendered speechless by his words. Here she is, so unpredictably moody, and he is just so thoughtful. "You shouldn't be here," she echoes. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. Again. "

"I didn't get in trouble last time."

"Yes you did! Your stepdad works at the school. I'm pretty sure that he'll know if you're not there."

Troy shrugs, completely unfazed by her warning tone. "Coach will just have to deal cuz the only way I'm going is if you're with me."

"Well, that's not going to happen because I don't really _feel_ like going to school right now."

"Okay. So, what do you _feel_ like doing? "

"Eating Rice Krispies and watching The Parent Trap," she says with a small smile.

He looks at her with an amused expression and then pushes himself off the ground. "We just watched that last night," he complains as he grabs the tray of marshmallow treats from the counter.

"What? Do you want to finish that stupid, gory movie?"

"Hey! It wasn't stupid. Okay, maybe it was. What other movie do you like?"

"Uhmm.. Hardball or The Replacements."

"Never heard of them."

Gabriella looks surprised by his confession. "They're both sports movies with Keanu Reeves in them!"

"What? Just because I'm a jock I _have_ to know every spots movie?" he challenges as he holds the tray of treat with one hand and pulls her to a standing position with the other. "I'm sorry to inform you, but basketball and golf are just about the only two sports I play."

"And the surprises keep coming," she muses as she looks down at their still connected hands. Why is it that he can always make her feel better? She attempts to untwine their hands, but he holds on tighter. He squeezes her hand and she can hear the echo of his voice from last night.

_Thank you for still being here._

_-_

_-_

_-_

Gabriella wrings her hands as Troy pulls into the empty parking lot behind the school. "We're going to get caught," she mutters for the hundredth time. "Not to mention being busted for truancy."

"Do you not see this? Everyone has pretty much gone home by now," he says as he kills the engine and turns to her. "What? Would you rather of gone back to your sister's house?"

"No, but why couldn't we stay at the park?"

"There's only so long I can stay at a park and look up at clouds. Even if it is with you," he adds the latter bit with a charming smile, but she remains unfazed. "C'mon, this place is much more fun."

"I don't want to be at school when I have to be. What makes you think I want to be here when I don't have to?"

"Cuz you're with me," he says smugly as he props open his door and steps out.

She rolls her eyes at his cockiness as she unbuckles her seat belt. When she woke up this morning, the last thing she thought she would do is spend the day with Troy Bolton. But in the five hours that they've been together - six and a half if the hours she spent sleeping are counted - they have done nothing, but watch Keanu Reeves movies, devour a pan of Rice Krispie treats, laying around in the park, and simply talking about miniscule things. Neither dared to address last nights event nor this morning's. The car door she leans against opens, breaking her thoughts, and she nearly falls out.

"Shit," Troy mutters as he struggles to catcher. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were leaning against it."

"It's fine," she replies as she graciously accepts his hand to help her down from the truck. "So, explain to me again how you plan on breaking us into the school."

He tugs on her to lead her towards the backdoor. "It's not breaking in if you've got the key," he jingles his keys in front of her unhooks their hands so he could place a brass key into the lock. "It pays to be the coach's stepson," he brags as he holds the door open for her.

"Yeah, like getting a spot on the basketball team," she teases as they enter the dreary hallways.

"Hey! I earned that spot fair and square!"

"Uh-huh. Sure you did."

"Did you not see me on the court last Friday? I scored point after point. "

Gabriella laughs at how serious he is taking her. "Careful, wildcat. This hallway might not be big enough for the both of us if your head gets any bigger."

"You're hilarious," he says dryly and walks ahead of her to lead the way out of the locker room. He pulls open another door and they find themselves in the gym.

"Why are we here again?" she prompts as they make a beeline for the door, stepping carefully as they passed a sign saying that the floor was wet.

"You're so impatient."

"Thanks for the update," she say sarcastically.

"And snappy too."

"Tell me what's so fun about this place," she says, ignoring his remarks.

"Have you always had this much attitude?" He notes her look of annoyance and takes her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. "Will you relax?"

"How can I when we probably shouldn't be here?"

"We're not going to get in trouble," he says as they finally reach the main doors of the gym. They easily fit through the white door frame and Troy turns their bodies to the left. "I'm taking you to one of the best places in the school."

"The rooftop?"

"You'll see," he says as they continue to walk in silence through the empty halls of East High. They finally come to stand in front of another set of doors, much like the ones leading to the gym. He releases her hand and pulls open the door. "Welcome to the auditorium, or if you want to be accurate: Sharpay Evan's Stage. She's the president of the drama club and this is really her territory."

"This is one favorite of your favorite places?"

"Yeah I love it here. Everyone knows me as the basketball guy, so this is a great place to hideout at. Shar's the only one that knows I sometimes go here to brush up on my piano skills."

"I never pegged you as someone who knew how to use a piano," she muses. It becomes blatantly obvious to her that she really didn't know him. "Care to show off your so-called skills?"

Troy grins at her easily and jogs down the aisle to the piano in the pit below the stage. She hears him lift the cover of the ivory keys and test out a few notes. A sweet melody fills the air and she feels herself gravitate towards it. Who would of ever thought that such beautiful music could come from his calloused finger tips?

"Wow. You're amazing."

"Thank you," he says as he stops suddenly and turns back to face her. He waits till she is sitting at the bench beside him before he poises his hands over the keys once again. "When I was like eight, my dad taught me how to make a piano bench, then he sat me at the piano and taught me what his grandmother taught him."

She can hear the admiration etched in his voice and she is envious of how well he conceals any trance of sadness.

"You know what would make this better?" She looks up at his smiling face, curiosity in her eyes. "You singing along."

Gabriella feels her throat close up as the thought crosses her mind. "I can't," she squeaks, adverting her eyes.

"Sure, you can. I remember how well you sang at the ski lodge."

A sigh escapes her lips as she turns away from him, twisting her hands. "I though we've gone over this already. Ella sang and danced and all that crap. _Gabriella_ doesn't."

The music stops abruptly and she can feel his eyes drilling into her. "You know, you aren't Hannah fucking Montana," he says coldly. "You don't get to go by your real name and pretend that you're a completely different person. You _are_ Ella. So don't give me that bullshit."

"You don't know what it's like," she mutters, somewhat ashamed by his words.

"But I do," he says in a softer tone. "It feels like the reason that they're dead is because of you. That there was probably something you could of done to change it all. You look in the mirror and all you think about how much you hate yourself. When people see you and hear about it, they look at you with so much pity. Their condolences don't mean a thing to you because it won't bring back your dad. And it hurts so much be-"

"Your dad," she echoes, glancing shyly at him.

"What?"

"You said, 'it won't bring back your dad.' I'm certain of it."

"No, I'm pretty sure I said mom." Even he seems unsure of himself.

Gabriella looks up at him and studies his expression. When he began describing her feelings dead on, she was sure that it was because she's ranted to him enough and that the books provided him with a lot of insight. Now she is the one that feels unsure. Her mind flashes back to her conversation with the girls and the tattered books in his hideaway. Could this be what they were referring to? She bites down on her bottom lip and daringly places a hand on his over the ivory keys. "Troy?"

"What?" His tone is no longer hostile, which she is grateful for.

"I need you to answer something truthfully for me."

"Go on."

"You know everything about me," she begins softly. "Well, the important stuff. You're the only person in the world that I don't have to put on a show for. At the same time, I don't know any of your secrets."

"Well, I don't really have any deep dark secrets. What you see is kind of what you get," he says in a deadpan manner.

"When I was getting ready for the game with the girls, they sort of let it slip that you were hiding something for me. And-"

This seems to catch the blu-eyed boys attention because he finally looks up at her. "What did they say?"

"Nothing really, but enough to make me wonder. Sharpay said something along the lines of, 'After everything he's been through, he deserves to be happy.' Taylor told me that I shouldn't worry about it and eventually you would tell me. Then those books I found in your treehouse. I can take a wild guess about what it's all about, but I really hope I'm wrong."

Troy sighs deeply and slips his hand from beneath hers, running it through his silky locks. "I guess you were bound to find out about it sooner or later," he mutters as he looks back down at the ivory keys in front of them. "Where do I even start? Freshman year was suppose to be great, you know? I had worked my ass off for the majority of the summer to get on the basketball team. It was worth it though because I became the only freshman on my varsity team. But because of that, I had to work twice as hard as the rest of the guys to prove that I belonged and that I wasn't just on the team because my stepdad was the coach. Now, I lived with my mom at the time because she was zoned for East High. So, I only saw my dad when he'd pick me up from school and on weekends. When basketball season rolled around, I saw even less of him."

She can feel the self-hate radiating from him and her heart aches. Looking into his eyes, she can see the internal battle she fought everyday. Timidly, she reaches for his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Never did she think that she would be the one that needed to comfort the other.

"He didn't come to my first game. I kept calling him that friday to remind him and my mom promised that she would swing by and drag him there if she had to. But when she showed up at the game, he wasn't there with her. She said that his car was in the garage, but no one was home. So I played, my heart at that game to kind of rub it in face and make him feel guilty for not coming. Wildcats won and the next day, I had my mom drop me off at my dad's house. I figured that he would be home by now or I'd at least wait for him. He couldn't stay away forever. Oh God. How wrong was I? The car was in the garage and everything was where it was- except for dad. I found him in his closet. Dead."

Gabriella cannot filter the gasp that escapes her mouth. Why did she have to ask? She should of took his words to heart and shut up. Maybe it's the glare of the auditorium lights, but she swears that his eyes look glossy.

"God, I couldn't stop playing basketball long enough to go for a round of golf with him. I was such a selfish ass that I didn't notice that he was hurting that he was undergoing treatment for depression. All the family he had was me and my mom. And we both left him."

_So this is what it feels like to be him._ She thinks as she helplessly holds his hand tighter.

"That's what I had those books for. I was trying to understand what drove my dad to kill himself. What could I have done to save him?"

"Is that why you freaked out so much when you thought _I_ was suicidal?" she asks softly as she feels as if the final pieces of the puzzle that is Troy Bolton falls into place. "You thought you could save _me_?"

Troy hesitates for a moment before he turns to her and she becomes aware of how close they are. Surprisingly, she doesn't move away. "At first, it was like that. I thought that since I couldn't save my dad, that I could save you. But then things changed." His tone changes and a small smile makes its way to his face. "The more time we spent together, I was reminded of that girl I fell for at the ski lodge. My mom raved about her and I thought she was gorgeous and had this beautiful voice. She was kind of this big mystery to me. She was so shy and quiet at first, but at the same time....The hair. The makeup. It was clear that she didn't want to blend in."

"But I didn't _want_ you to think me of as her."

"I know, but you can't help who you are. I mean, sure people change. I'm sure as hell not some basketball obsessed guy anymore, but it's still part of who I am. The reason I'm how I am now is because I've learned from my mistakes. The same goes for you. You don't act like you did back then, but the reason you choose to act like this now is because of your past."

Gabriella feels like the floor has been pulled from under her. The room feels like it's spinning and she's not entirely sure of how she is suppose to feel right now. Troy called her out for basically being a bitch. He poured his soul to her and made himself so vulnerable at his expense. To top it all off, he admitted that he fell for her when they first met. But all those thoughts are shoved from her head as she she becomes acutely aware that his facing is inching towards hers. She doesn't move.

The door burst open and they jump apart, heads turning in the direction of the boisterous Drama teacher. "You two shouldn't be here! Bolton! Montez! Do not make my theater some sort of love shack! You want some privacy, find one off campus and I hope to God that you protection. One Bolton is enough."

Heat rises to her cheeks and she barely hear Troy's chuckle through the sound her heart beating so loudly in her chest. She is mortified by her actions. Had that really happened? Was she about to let him kiss her? She feels his hand on her lower back and she looks up at him alarmed.

Troy's actually smiling, as if nothing major had just happened. "C'mon let's get out of here before Darbus lectures us some more."

She is rendered speechless. How was it possible for him to shrug any of this off like it was nothing? This was far from normal by anyone's standards. Maybe she wasn't the crazy one after all. Maybe he was just as moody and unpredictable as she was. This was just too much to digest. Oh how she wishes she never woke up.

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**A/N: **I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I think it kinda speaks for its self. Plus it's late and I have to be up in like 5 hours to volunteer at the hospital. Oh the things I do for you guys. =P  
Hope you enjoyed it and please review!  
Much Love,  
Kae xx


	14. It's Not Your Fault

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **To put it simply, it's hard to dissociate myself from certain aspects of this story, which makes scenes like the ones you'll see later on, hard for me to write. I'm sorry you guys had to wait. Thanks again to _**xZANESSA4LIFEx, zan lil, Tayweezy, night, Tozzi, Sharkay, Bridget129, sillymeggo, pumpkinking5, AerisTifaYuffie, **_and_** Clembo29 x **_ for the wonderful reviews. This is for you guys. XD

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** lol yay! so glad you loved the last chapter! haha..me too! Those are my favorite movies. I'm somewhat in love with Keanu Reeves. =) *bites nails* if you didn't like a 10 day wait, then you must of absolutely despised waiting 13 days. Sorry! Regardless, hope you enjoy this chapter.

**to **_**night**_**: **not sure if you meant to leave a real comment, cuz your review just said you name in all caps lol..but thanks for checking out my story anyway! =D

**to **_**pumpkinking5**_**: **As always, I really appreciate your detailed review. I'm really glad that you enjoyed all of the aspects of Troy. Yes, it appears that or main character is very, very confused. Will things become an clearer for? Guess you'll have to see in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! XD

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Darbus's gaze follows them as they leave the auditorium and turn into the hallway.

"She's a basket-case," Troy says. "Who says 'love shack' anymore? What the hell _is_ a 'love shack'? She's crazy."

Gabriella hardly hears any part of Troy's rant. How can she when she's still dwelling on their conversation that they had not more than five minutes ago? She feels his hand bump against hers a few times and when he tries to hook their hands together, she pulls away.

He looks at her, shock evident on his features. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she says quickly as she adds space between them.

"Really?" he asks in an incredulous tone. "You're doing this to me _now_?"

"Tr-"

"After what I just confessed, you're going to act like this?"

"I ju-"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," he mutters before walking away.

"You can't do this to me!" she blurts out, causing him to stop in his tracks and turn back to her. The tone of her voice sounds strain and if there were any onlookers, they would think that she was about to cry. Little would they know that Gabriella never cries. "You can't dump all of this on me and expect everything to be okay. I just need a moment to digest all of this."

Troy doesn't speak. He merely walks over to the locker opposite from her and simply watches as she wrings her hands.

"Can we go somewhere?" she asks diffidently. "I feel like someone can walk into whatever this is and it'll-"

"Follow me," he says simply and begins leading the way through the halls. Wrapped in a thick silence, they somehow find themselves in the confines of their secret spot- the rooftop garden.

The cool air surrounds her, but she barely notices. She is so disoriented as she staggers over to the railing across the bench. _Maybe he does understand._ She thinks as she adverts her dark eyes. It scarred her that he can get inside of her head and under her skin. She should of known that they would end up here. She allowed him to comfort and care for her. But why didn't she stop it?

Glancing up shyly, she notes the frustration in his eyes. It's a difficult concept for her to grasp that there is someone in this world that understands what she feels. Though, there's something she needs him to understand. So she tells him, leading him over to the benches to sit side by side.

"When I look in the mirror," Gabriella begins softly, "I see a stranger. Do you know what that's like? To have hollow eyes looking back at you? I don't know who I am anymore. No. Wait. I know who I am. I'm the girl that was driving the car that killed her mother."

"And I'm the guy who found his dead dad."

"Those two events are not the same and you know it."

"Maybe you're right. I'm being a bit presumptuous if I think that I know exactly what you're feeling. But I have a vague idea. After my dad died, I had nightmares so bad that I'd wake up mom and Coach with my screams. Not only that, but in the weeks following the encounter, I was afraid to open my closet. I would have a panic attacks whenever I did and I'd have flashbacks of finding my dad there- lying lifeless. I just know that losing him was just the worst possible feeling in the world."

"It _is_ a terrible feeling," she says after a pause passed between them. She is quite determined to make him understand her heartache. "I need you to just hear me out."

Troy places a calloused hand on top hers, halting her from wringing her hands. "Okay, I'm listening." He flips her hand over and entwines their hands.

"Before the incident in your room last week, I've only talked about the accident one other time. I don't even remember it really happening. See, the doctors kept me for a week at the hospital after the accident for observation. There was nothing wrong with me, but they were afraid that I would go into shock so they had me on all these painkillers. I was basically numb and really dazed. I was only conscious for a couple of hours at a time and at one point, a cop came in to get my statement about the crash. The only thing I remember from that encounter was that I was telling the cop the story and it was like an outer body experience. I knew exactly what happened, but my heart and my mind just weren't making the connection as to _what_ I did."

He chooses now to give her hand an encouraging squeeze, as if to reminder her that he was still there. "You didn't-"

"Just listen. Please," she pleads softly as she squeezes his hand back.. "Weeks passed by and it was like one long nonevent. There were days that I'd just lay down and just focus on breathing. Anything beyond that was difficult. Even eating didn't seem like a priority, which is why Adam and Genevieve always seem to be pushing me to eat nowadays. I was coping - I guess you can say - with all of these changes just fine. That is, until, my mother's birthday. Adam suggested that we finally go spread my mom's ashes like we had planned, but I just could deal with it."

Her voice cracks a bit, but she doesn't dare shed a tear. Instead, she scoffs at the situation she put herself in. Who was Troy to make her feel so vulnerable? Her eyes drift close and says, "I remember feeling so frustrated because I couldn't cry and how annoyed I was by Gen's calm demeanor. That night, while Adam and Gen went to spread my mom's ashes, I broke a picture frame. It was an accident- I swear. I don't even remember _how_ it broke. But it was just lying there on the floor: shards of glass over a picture of my mother. The irony of seeing that broken glass over my mom's face sent me over the edge and I could just see every vivid detail about the accident play out in my head. One moment I was gasping for breath like I'm underwater and the images wouldn't stop. Everything was finally making sense and I understood what I did that night."

It's hard for her to keep her tone steady and she gives up trying. "But all of the sudden," she squeaks, "the memory stops and there's this indescribable relief that flows through my body. It was like I was back in the hospital and drugged up to the point where I was numb- except, it was better. I didn't even realize my eyes were closed, until I felt this consistent throbbing feeling in my hand. Then it hits me. I was squeezing one of the glass shards so hard that it had cut me. But it felt so good to finally feel something, that there was an actual tangible feeling. Before I even registered what I'm doing, I was cutting my arm over and again to hold onto to that it pain. God, it hurt so bad."

"I'd imagine so," Troy says softly as he strokes the back of her hand with his thumb.

Gabriella shakes her head softly. "It did and it still does, but that wasn't the most painful thing. It's _knowing_ what you've done and having to _live_ with it."

"I don't-"

"Please don't take offense to this because I rationalized this long before I knew about your father and even before re-meeting you," she pauses, contemplating her words in her head. "There's a reason as to why I haven't killed myself and why I will not end up like your father or the fictitious Alaska. Don't think that I haven't thought about it, because I have. But something occurred to me: suicide would be the easy way out of this and I don't deserve easy."

Gabriella takes a deep breath and chooses now to look at him. She takes in the uncertainty in his eyes. "This might be hard to understand, but I know that what I'm doing is wrong. I have enough common sense to know that it's really fucked up that I'm doing this to myself. But it's the _only_ way I can cope when it feels like I can't breath and I'm just consumed by mother's memory. It's the only way I can make myself forget."

"There's always counseling, like I had to go through."

"You know that isn't an option," she says despondently.

"Oh Gabriella," he begins softly, a sense of defeat in his voice. "I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you hurt- physically and emotionally. God, you scared me this morning. Do you know that?"

After everything that has happened today, she shouldn't be stunned by his honesty. Embarrassed, she is about to look away when he reaches up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. She freezes, suddenly aware of their close proximity.

"When I saw found you on the floor, it felt like I was seeing my dad on the closet floor."

Her heart breaks a bit. She had never intended to hurt him. He is the last person she would want hurt.

"I thought I lost you," he muses as he looks at her with so much care and strokes the side of her face with a gentle hand.

She wants to assure him that she is okay. That despite everything that has happened in the past 36 hours, she would keep pushing forward and cope. Even if it wasn't the healthiest way. But alas, she finds it hard to speak when they lock eyes. Her breath catches in her throat and she doesn't realize it, but she leans forward. She tears her eyes away from the blue orbs he calls eyes and glances at his lips, wondering if they were as wonderful as she remembered. She doesn't question herself for acting like some hormonal teenager. For once, she feels in control of that funny thing called like. Without a second thought, she leans closer and kisses him.

Troy doesn't miss a beat, perfecting her aim and moving his hand to cup the back of her head to deepen it. What starts as slow and sweet, easily transforms into rushed kisses. Somehow she finds herself straddling him, hands on his shoulders as if to steady herself so that they wouldn't fall off the bench. Her eyes are shut in content and she tilts her head to the right as his lips descend to the curve of her neck. Gabriella gasps softly as she feels his teeth sink into the soft flesh.

But just as quickly as it had started, it stops. "I can't do this!" she says frantically as she pulls away, breathing heavily and jumping off of him.

Theres this feeling in her chest as if someone stabbed her and then twisted the knife. She's gasping for breath, but for different reasons than the boy in front of her. How did she go from experiencing the most wonderful thing in the world to being pulled under? She tries to steady her erratic heartbeat by shutting her eyes, but it's too late. The kiss triggered the memory and it plays in here head like a movie- just as vivid as ever.

_**January 1, 2010**_

"_Are you sure you want to drive?" Maria asked as Gabriella loaded the rental car with their belongings._

"_It'll be fine, mom. No one will be on the road at this hour, everybody's probably still partying." Gabriella felt unsettled as she made her way to the driver's seat. She had driven a few times, but never in snow. "Besides, you have a migraine."_

"_Okay, okay."_

"_Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself as she let go off the brake and stepped on the gas. "Hey mom, do me a favor."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Distract me." _

"_Okay, I can do that." Maria said confidently, a smirk gracing her thin lips. "So, tell me about this boy."_

_The younger Montez felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Boy? What boy?"_

"_Don't act all innocent with me Gabriella Ann Montez, I saw your phone."_

_She pulled her eyes off the road to glance at her mother. "You went through my phone?"_

"_I didn't go through your phone. Eyes on the road, young lady," Maria scolded. "You were changing in the bathroom and you're phone went off. I was simply making sure it wasn't Genevieve."_

"_Speaking of Gen, how is she and my little niece or nephew."_

"_Gen and the baby are doing great. Now, back to Roy."_

"_It's Troy, not Roy."_

"_Ha! So there is a boy and apparently his name is Troy!" Marie exclaimed, practically jumping up in her seat. "Wait, Troy? As in Lucille's son?"_

"_Uh-huh, they're one in the same, but I didn't know that when we sang together."_

"_You sang? On a stage? In front of people?"_

"_Please mother, don't hold back your shock." Gabriella rolled her eyes, not caring if Maria could see it through the darkness._

"_Well, it's just that the last time you sang in front of a crowd, you-"_

"_Fainted," mother and daughter said together, laughing at the memory._

"_So, do you think you'll see him when we get back to Albuquerque?"_

"_Didn't you say that you had a migraine?"_

"_That maybe so, but stop avoiding the question."_

_Gabriella gripped the steering wheel, starring at the snow covered pavement in front of her. She didn't know what she felt for Troy, but she couldn't stop the smile that grew on her face as she thought about him. Being on stage with him was like performing with the Dance Team. When she danced with her team, she got lost in the music and the whole world seemed to disappear. Being on stage with Troy was like that, it was just the two of them; virtual strangers exchanging brief smiles and sappy lyrics._

_She then thinks about the fireworks. Not the fireworks that displayed over the snow-covered mountains, but the ones she felt when his lips touched hers. She lifts a hand off the steering wheel and lifts it to her lips. A wide smile slips onto her face as she reminisces about the tenderness of his lips._

"_Ella! Are you listening to me?"_

"_Yeah, mom. I'm listening." She glances sideways at her mother, seeing a smile grace her face as well._

"_Oh I swear, by the time I was your age I've already been to-" Bright lights illuminate Maria's face, causing her to stop mid-sentence. "ELLA!!"_

_But Gabriella barely hears her mother's screams, she's focused on the headlights in front of her. She spins the wheel because that's the only thing she could think to do. And just like that, the world - her world - disappears._

Her eyes snap open and she is still struggling for air. The pain is still there as the midday sun beats down on her back. She knows of one way to truly save herself.

_I need it. Now._

"Gabriella, are you okay?"

She barely hears the concern in his voice as she eagerly scans her surroundings for a sharp edge- anything that would make it end. A pie plate catches the sun's rays and she's immediately drawn to it. One. Two. Three. Four. Five steps was all it took for her to have the tin pan in her hands. The tin pan looks clean to the naked eye, not a crumb on it's smooth surface.

_It's good enough for me._

"What's wrong?"

Her focus is on blocking out the images and sounds from her head. She is calmer than last night. Perhaps it's because she knows that this will do the trick. This was absolutely fool proof. The tin fits in the palm of her hand and is thin enough for to bend easily. With her back to the bench, she begins folding the tin in half and pinching at its crease till it's flat. Back and forth, back and forth. She folds the tin back and forth in a repetitive motion. Satisfied with her work, she creates a small tear at the top of the tin and pulls the halves in opposite directions.

_Two perfect halves._

Just as she's about to pull the cuff of her left sleeve to her elbow, a firm grip appears on her wrist. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I need this." Gabriella is gasping as she disregards one of the halves on the floor below her and cradles the other in her hand. The edges press agains the palm of her hand. The rounded edge felt smooth and the other was comfortingly, jagged line.

"No you don't."

She pulls her arm out of his grasp with every ounce of strength left in her and attempts to move back to the bench, but he stops her. "Please," she pleads, "just leave and let me be. Let me be."

"You want to keep doing this to yourself? Then you can do it in front of me."

Panic fills her body. How could he suggest such a thing? Then again, how can she deny such a request when the overwhelming images have yet to stop. She has two choices: try to deal with the pain the memories inflict or cut in front of Troy. But option one was never a real option to begin with.

With a hard tug, she frees her arm from his steel cage of a hand and in one swift moment, she shoves the sleeve up. She brings the pie plate between my thumb and index finger for a steady grip. Without a second thought, she shuts her eyes and drags the rough edge against her forearm. What she feels is nothing.

Her eyes wander down to that her skin had snagged on the tin. She pulls it in the other direction and watches as the metal rips through the mutilated skin. Blood rushes to the surface and the nothing is replaces with a sharp pain; one unlike anything she has ever felt.

Troy rips the metal from her hand and chucks it into the corner. He pulls on his shirttail and presses it over the cut in an effort to stop the blood. "Fuck! I didn't think you would do it! Is it always like this?"

_No._ She thinksas she wallows in the the throbbing pain because anything feels better than reliving the accident. Never has it bled this much and never has it hurt this bad. But it doesn't matter. The cut had served its purpose. Time seems to pass in an excruciatingly slow pace, but alas- the pictures in her head come to screeching halt.

"Gabriella?"

She raises her head slowly, her eyes wide and glassy. The last thing she should be is surprised. Of course he would look scared. Who wouldn't be after watching one of her episodes?

Tucking a loose curl behind her ear, he strokes the side of her face and lifts her head to look at him. "I wish you'd just stop."

There's something about the sincerity in his eyes and tone of his voice that is just too much for her to take. She let down one of the only people that have showed that they truly cared about her. For the first time, she actually regrets cutting. "I'm sorry," she mutters, just before breaking.

She collapses in a crying heap and pulls her knees to her chest. In a blink of an eye, he is at her side, pulling her into his lap, flush against his chest. She shifts in his lap and wounds her arms around his neck, burying her face into his neck. Her acid tears burn his skin and the crimson blood stains his shirt, but he doesn't dare pull away. If anything, he holds her tighter.

In the past four months, she has never allowed herself to shed a tear. Not for her mother or even Genevieve. Crying made it real. It signified defeat and finality, both things she wasn't ready to admit.

"It's not your fault."

Gabriella doesn't even hear is words whispered over and over again in her ear. It's as if the world has been pulled from underneath her. Never has she felt this lost as to what she should be feeling and acting. How is it possible to feel as if your heart has literally shattered into a million pieces, but simultaneously feel this incredible warmth surrounding you? But despite this building confusion, she wishes that she could stay wrapped up in his arms- forever.

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**A/N:** Random fact for you guys: the flashback was the very first thing that I wrote for this story. I really hoped you enjoyed this. Another random thing: this story is longer than my 23 chapter story I worked on last year (Her Story). In correlation to that, this story has a few more chapters to go.

Thanks so much for reading and please reviews!

Much Love,  
Kae xx


	15. The Inevitable

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to _**Luc18**_, who celebrates her birthday today. She doesn't even read this story, but she is an extraordinary writer and she has been an even more amazing friend over the years. So go check out her stories and leave her a lovely, well-deserved review. Thanks again to _**liv3. in. lov3, Tayweezy, EP, anoddapple, zan lil, sillymeggo, AerisTifaYuffie, pumpkinking5, **_and_** xZANESSA4LIFEx **_for the amazing reviews and for pushing the review count to over 100. Yayz! for that happening. XD Enjoy!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** lol Aloha to you too! haha... I don't know why, but emotional roller coasters fit this couple so well but the ride will soon come to a stop (or a steady pace =P) *hint* *hint* ahh!! I know. I'm getting slower and slower with the updates on this story. Eek! 13 days wait again! But this a long chapter so..yay? Thanks for the lovely review! Enjoy!

**to **_**EP**_**: **Hey there! Thanks for checking out my story. It's so great to that your loving it so far. I hope you stuck around for more. Thank you for reading and reviewing! XD

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_**April 14, 2010**_

Gabriella lies in her bed, starring up at the hypnotizing ceiling fan. Her body doesn't crave the sleep anymore, but she wishes that she could slip back into dreamland. After yesterday's events, she dreads what could possibly await her at school. Some part of her thinks that yesterday was a dream. Maybe Troy never came over and everything that happened after that was her imagination at play. It's a subconscious act for her to trace over the cuts on her wrist and the tenderness of the recent addition is the only thing keeping her from forgetting that yesterday never happened.

Adam calling her name through the wooden door, accompanied by a soft knock, pulls Gabriella from her mock catatonic state. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," she says, her voice void from emotion. Sitting up slightly, her sore stomach hurting her for a moment as she watches her brother-in-law walk into the room. She shifts uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.

"I'm guessing that you're not going to school."

"You guessed correctly."

"Now the question is, what are you avoiding?"

"Nothing," she say, instantly regretting the way her voice squeaked.

Adam arches an eyebrow, an amused smile on his features. "Really? You're not trying to avoid someone?"

"Who could I possibly want to avoid at school?"

"I think I know, but you won't like the answer."

"How-"

"Gen saw him drop you off and she said that you guys looked pretty broody. I was going to ask you about it during dinner, but you wouldn't come down."

Gabriella is surprised that her sister was able to make such an observation, especially since she made the effort to avoid speaking to her when she went home. She clears her throat and timidly looks up at her brother-in-law. "Not to sound rude, but why do you care?" It's a question that she feels she has been asking a lot.

He sighs and comes to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. "Gabs, you know you're like the little sister I never had. With that being said, you've been sort of different this past week. Maybe it's just a coincidence with Troy showing up when he did."

"What do you mean different?"

"Trust me, it's a good kind of different. I can't really describe it. It's kind of like you're 11-year-old girl I met when Gen first took me home. The one that wasn't afraid to tell you what was on her mind."

She bites down on her lower lip and thinks back to her behavior this past week. Sure she's been a bit more lively, but she didn't think it was a drastic change.

"I don't know," Adam continues with a thoughtful smile, "it's refreshing to see that side of you again. I just don't want to see you in that daze again."

A clarification of his words is needed. She knows that he's referring to the trance she was in during the weeks after the accident. It was some of her darkest moments where the days seemed to blur together as she merely went through the motion of life and not really living.

"So let me know if I have to knock some sense into Bolton."

Gabriella smiles automatically at his teasing tone. Adam had been a mediator of sorts since the accident, always knowing when it was appropriate to be serious and to be lighthearted. Now as she watches him in his element, she isn't the least bit surprised that he could be a sentimental jokester. Maybe that's why it was so easy to talk to him. "It's not Troy," she starts off slowly, "there's just a lot going through mind lately."

"Oh. It has to do with Gen, doesn't it?"

_More or less._

"I know she hasn't said anything to you yet but you know it's because she has to think about her words carefully. She's alway been that levelheaded."

Looking down at her hands, she replies, "That's why her words the other night are that much truer. Those words must of been sitting with her for awhile if she said them."

"I really can't speak for Gen, but from what I've seen, it's been eating her up since monday. She really regrets what she said to you."

"You keep saying that but unless I hear it from her, it means nothing."

"She's terrified to talk to you."

_What? Why?_ Gabriella asks herself as she lifts her eyes and searches her brother-in-law's face for any indication of him lying. She finds nothing.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but she doesn't know _how_ to talk to you."

"But you talk to me without a problem."

"That's cuz guys have better control of their emotions than women."

_Way to divert a conversation._

Gabriella rolls her eyes and resists the urge to chuck a pillow in his direction. "How utterly male of you to say."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Adam says with a smirk. "So, no school?"

"You're not going to make me go?" she asks as she raises an eyebrow in disbelief. She lets out a breath once he shakes his head in response. Now she had the whole day ahead of her, but she isn't sure she trusts herself to be by herself after yesterday's events. No, it's better for her to be surrounded by people. School was out of the question, so that left one place. "Would you mind dropping me off at the daycare?"

_Maybe I could be of some use there._

"Not at all, but can you meet me downstairs in 15?"

Gabriella nods eagerly as she pushes the sheet off of her body. Suddenly she is excited for her day as she ushers Adam out of the door. The daycare offered the perfect distractions. With children running around, there was no time for her to dwell on the past. She rushes into the bathroom, picking up a washcloth and running it under the steaming water. She shuts the sink off and wrings out the excess water in the cloth before blotting her latest addition. Copper stains are left on the washcloth as she removes the clotted blood from the surface of the cut. It's one of the many tricks she's picked up on so that the scar will heal lighter. Satisfied with her work, she sets down the washcloth and continues on with her morning routine.

"Gen picked you up some strawberry cereal bars," Adam says when she finally enters the kitchen. "Think fast!"

She doesn't even make an effort to catch it and she resists the urge to roll her eyes at his antics. "I'm not hungry," she says as she swipes the breakfast bar from the floor and tosses it back to him.

"But you didn't eat dinner!" he complains as he tosses it back. "I'm not taking you anywhere if you don't eat it."

She catches it this time and rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'll eat the damn bar. Can we just go?"

"Alright, alright," Adam says as he raises his arms in mock defense, a smile gracing his face. "Jeez. I forgot how bossy you can be "

"Haha," she says dryly as she unwraps the strawberry treat. "I'll be outside, waiting by the car." She marches out of the kitchen, eating her breakfast as she went. It's only now that she realizes how hungry she was. Or maybe it's the sweet smell of strawberries enticing her appetite. Whatever it is, she is grateful that her sister remembered her favorite breakfast bar.

The drive to the Dandy Daycare is relatively quiet, something that Gabriella is thankful for. She appreciates that her brother-in-law was just trying to help this morning with his little pep talk, but now she feels even more confused than before.

"You know," Adam begins as they wait at a stop sign, "we can pick up your car from the old house. We'll have to have it checked out by a mechanic, but it should still be in good condition."

"I thought Gen didn't want me driving," she muses, momentarily stunned by his suggestion.

"She thought it was too soon after the accident, but life has to go on. It must suck to have to be driven everywhere."

"I've gotten use to it," she says with a nonchalant shrug. "Besides, I don't even remember _how_ to drive."

"You're joking," Adam says as he tears his eyes from the road for the briefest second to look at her. "Oh gosh, you're not! Man, we've go to fix that. We'll get up early this Saturday and I'll give you a refresher course. That's all you need. You'll be ba-"

"I can't," she says, cutting him off and turning to look out the window. The mere thought of her being behind the wheel, sends her heart racing. She imagines her palms sweeting as she grits onto the steering wheel and driving side by side with other vehicles.

"I know the first time will be a bit scary, but it'll-"

"It's too soon."

"I think you're underestimating yourself. You have to deal with things like this head on. Just-"

"Adam, just stop," she says in a sharp tone, "_Both_ of my parents died because of car accidents. So please excuse me if I'm not jumping for a chance to drive."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I was just trying to help."

"I don't need help!" Gabriella screams, instantly regretting the way they slipped out. Embarrassment sets in as she glances nervously to the side and wrings her hands. She didn't mean to yell. "It's just that, I was a paranoid driver to begin with and the accident kind of amplified that fear." Her words stumble out of her mouth in such a haste, but she doesn't dare look up to see if he understood. Gabriella sighs as Adam turns up the radio in response and doesn't speak for the rest of the drive. She feels terrible for screaming at him. Much to her dismay, everything just seems to be changing all too quickly for her. It terrifies her more than being behind the wheel.

"Thanks for the ride," she mutters as they pull up in front of the daycare and finally turns to look at him.

Adam doesn't appear to be mad as he shifts the car into park and unlocks the doors. "No problem," he says with a curt nod. "Sorry if I freaked you out earlier. I - we - worry about you sometimes."

_Why is that everyone else seems to be apologizing to me? I'm the one who should be sorry._

"We just want to see you back to your old self."

She holds back a scoff. Why is it that who she is right now not good enough? It annoys her that people expect her to be something that she is not.

"I'm picking you up on the way home, right?" Adam asks, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, that would be great," she replies in a distracted tone as she undos her seat belt and props open the door. She mutters one last goodbye before stepping out of his car and onto the cracked sidewalk. Shutting the door behind her, she waves him off as he speeds away. Turning around, she stares at the brick building known as Dandy Daycare. After about a month of lounging around the house, Genevieve sent her here instead of forcing her to go back to school. It turns out that it was one of the best decisions her older sister ever made.

Puling the door open, the welcome bell rings above her and the sweet smell of lavender surrounds her. She can feel the tension in her body melt away with every step.

"Hi! How can I- Gabriella?"

The brunette looks to her left to see her boss looking at her with surprise. "Hi Noelle," she says sweetly as she approaches the L-shaped counter. "How are things so far?"

"They're pretty good," she says as she stands up from her chair. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I suppose I should be, but a day at the daycare seemed so much more appealing," she replies with a smile, causing Noelle to shake her head in amazement as she hands over the key to unlock the door of the counter. "What will it be? The front desk or with Cindy and the kids?"

"Which one would cause the most distractions?"

"The kids," she says without a second thought. "So, you came here looking here for a distraction. Anything you want to talk about?"

Gabriella shakes her head from side to side as she takes a step back from the counter. She knows her boss means well, but she's not sure that Noelle was the right person to talk to about all of this. A sigh escapes hr lips as her mind involuntarily to drifts to Troy's face. She shakes the image from her head as she says, "Alright, well I guess that means I'll be in the playroom."

Now her day could officially begin- one where the only drama would be two little girls fighting over a barbie. She envies these children and how simple their lives are at this point. Oh what she would give to trade places with them.

-

-

"Thank you again for doing this."

Gabriella nods, still unsure of how she landed herself in Lucille Bolton's car with Sydney in the backseat. After a very busy and rewarding day at the daycare with all of the kids, she had fully intended on going back to her sister's house an sleep. Then Lucille called, begging for her to

"Jack is out celebrating his friends birthday and Troy's not answering his cell. I don't know what's up with him lately. Not only did he skip school yesterday, but he got into a fight!"

"What fight?"

"Okay, so he didn't exactly get into a fight. What had happen is, yesterday he came home with blood on his shirt around dinnertime. When I asked him about it, he said that he broke up a fight in the park. He swears he wasn't a part of it though. But after I found out he skipped school, I don't know what to believe."

Guilt washes over her body as she takes in Lucille's words. Gabriella remembers the way she had clung to him as she broke down in his arms. Heat rises to her face as the image of how repulsed he was by her actions, flashes in her mind. She silently scolds herself for crying and for - most importantly - doing it in front of him. He now knew every aspects her - even the one that lusted for him.

"He left me a quick message on my voice mailbox that he would be getting home late and not to worry. So I'll just be a quick three or four hours max," Lucille explains as they pull up to a red traffic light. "Wow. You really look just like her."

The brunette doesn't even have to ask Lucille about who she is talking about because she knows exactly who she is refereeing to. She looks down, feeling the older women's scrutinizing gaze. This tidbit of information isn't exactly news to her, but she finds it odd that Lucille brings it up now.

"I mean, I had no doubt about it that you looked like her when I first met you. It's just that with your hair in - what I'm assuming is - your natural hair color and texture…" she trails off. "You look like a mirror copy of her."

Gabriella automatically raises a hand to touch her dark, curly hair. Is that why she stopped straightening her hair and dyed it back to black? Her mother never really liked the fact that Gabriella distorted her natural locks since she was 13. She wonders if it was really some unconscious attempt to hold onto her.

_No. It's just that I wanted a change and it's so much easier to not straighten it._

She tries to convince herself, but alas, she isn't so sure.

"Sweetheart," Lucille interrupts, "I wanted to apologize for how I reacted when you were over the other day."

"You didn't know," she says ever so softly.

"Still, it's no excuse." Lucille pauses, as if to organize her thoughts. She opens her mouth several times, but appears to second guess herself. "Pardon me for prying, but was the accident on New Years Day?"

Gabriella timidly lifts her head, surprised by the older woman's question. "How did you know?"

"It was on the news later in the day that there was a crash about five miles from the resort. They said that it was two females perceived to be sisters, but they didn't broadcast the names nor did they give approximate ages. I just assumed that it was two socialites that partied too hard."

"They didn't mention another car?"

"Not that I remember."

"So that bastard could still be out there?" Gabriella mutters to herself.

"There was speculation that another car was involved, but because there were no witness, there was nothing that they could really do." Lucille pauses and contemplates how she is to articulate her next set of words. "It was reported that the driver was sober. Gabriella, you were the one driving that night, weren't you?"

"Yes," she says without hesitation.

Lucille's demeanor changes. She looks at the young woman before her with pity. "Oh, sweetheart. I am so sorry that you had to go through that."

Gabriella is truly touched by the sincerity in the older woman's voice and she's not entirely sure on how to respond.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here. Or if you would rather speak to someone who doesn't know you personally, I still have the number for Troy's grief counselor. Oh dear, I probably shouldn't of said that. Troy's going to be so angry if he finds out that I brought up his counseling. Please don't mention to Troy that I said-"

"I think it's alright, Mrs. Bolton. Troy has already mentioned his counseling with me. And thank you, but no thank you for the offer. I'm handling things fairly well." The later bit is a lie that doesn't even sound convincing to her own ears, but Lucille doesn't seem to notice as she eases her foot onto the gas pedal.

"Oh, so you know about his father?"

"Yes."

"And the counseling?"

She hesitates for a moment before speaking. "Yes."

"That's a bit surprising, but I guess it's a good thing. With all that he's been through, I reckon he would be just as good as any to talk to."

Gabriella finds it ironic how Lucille's speech comes just a day late. Perhaps if they had this conversation earlier, then she would of been better prepared for yesterday.

A think silence fills the air as they continue the rest of the drive to the Bolton house. For Gabriella, it's not entirely awkward, but she wills the car to move faster. She focuses on the blurring scenery outside of her window and before she knows it, they are pulling into the Bolton's driveway.

"I'll compensate you for your time and effort," Lucille says as she opens up the front door. "How does ten dollars for every hour I am away sound?"

"It sounds like entirely too much," Gabriella says as she shifts the baby carrier to her other hand.

"Nonsense! You must be exhausted from school and the daycare. Besides, I'm sure that you had much more valuable things to do than babysit my daughter while my son's is off doing God knows what."

"Mrs. Bolton, it really isn't necessary to pay me. Not to mention, I did make a mess in your kitchen and shattered your mug."

"That was nothing, so just quit bring it up. Oh and I thought I've already told you that it's Lucille."

Gabriella looks away, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Yes, Lucille," she stutters.

"Help yourself to anything in the fridge or there are takeout menus by the fridge. Do you need money?"

"Oh no. I already had dinner."

"Okay. Well, I've got to go now. Call me if you need anything."

"Will do. Goodbye," she calls with a smile as Lucille shuts the door. She looks down at Sydney, who has her blue eyes opened wide. "Looks like it's just me and you." The thought of Troy coming home while she's still there, suddenly crosses her mind, and if she wasn't holding the baby carrier, she would surely have a panic attack.

_Let's just hope it stays that way._

-

-

Gabriella is moving about Sydney's room to the music in her head as the 7-months-old baby fuses in her arm. She had already fed her and burped her, but the little angel refuses to shut her blue eyes. It's certainly not the first time that she had to put the baby to sleep. She sighs as she her arm rock from side to side, shifting from leg to leg.

"She likes being rocked in the chair."

The calm voice startles her, forcing her to stop mid-step and turn around to see Troy leaning against the doorframe. He wears a solemn expression as he walks towards her and grips her by the shoulders, leading her to the rocking chair in the corner. Shifting the pillows on the wooden frame, he helps her sit down and replaces the pillow so that it supports Gabriella's arm under his sister's head. Sydney looks up at him in amazement and tries to reach for him. He shakes his head gently from side to side and bends down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm sorry Syd, but I can't hold you right now. I'm all dirty," he explains to his sister before pushing himself off the floor. "Can you stay a bit longer while I get cleaned up? My mom and I rent out my dad's house; the last boarders did a shitty job at taking care of the carpets so I'm replacing it with hardwood."

Gabriella simply nods. She can't stop herself from taking in the sight of him in worn in khaki shorts and a wife beater top that shows of his toned upper half. He has streaks of a tan substance on the side of his neck and on random spots of his exposed limbs. Finally settling on his tantalizing blue eyes, she realizes that he was starring at her too. Heat rushes to her face and she quickly looks down at the baby in her arms. Now she's not just rocking in the chair to soothe the fusing Sydney, but to steady her rapid pulse as well.

When Sydney's eyes finally drift shut, she isn't sure what to do. She's afraid that if she stands, her efforts of rocking back and forth would be wasted. But alas she is successful at getting up from the walker and walking across the room without waking up the baby. She gently places Sydney in her crib and leaves the room, shutting off the main lights on her way out. Looking down the hallway, she sighs as she sees that the bathroom light is spilling out of the open door.

_I should probably tell him I'm leaving._

She catches him shaving over the sink, dressed in only basketball shorts. Looking away, she avoids his gaze through the mirror.

"Sydney asleep?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go now."

"Okay, let me just grab you some money."

"That isn't-"

"Mom said she would compensate you so let me pay. It's only fair."

There's something about his indifferent attitude that puts her on edge. Shouldn't he be angry at her? She takes a step back and waits patiently outside the bathroom door. At this point, she doesn't know what to think. Moments later, he steps out of the bathroom and walks past her without a second glance. As she watches his partially naked form disappear into the confines of his room, she can't help but feel a bit hurt. Never has he acted so detached towards her.

When Troy finally comes out of his room, he has a simple white shirt covering his upper body and a broody expression on his face. He walks towards her in an excruciatingly slow pace. "Here's the money," he says, holding out several folded bill. "Goodnight."

She is surprised by the way he spoke with such little emotion, the act seems all too familiar. Daring herself to look up, she sees that he seems to be avoiding her gaze as well. "That's it?" It takes her a minute before she realizes that she had asked that out loud.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't-"

"Because I honestly don't know what to say anymore. One way or the other, you always seem to get hurt and I'm sick of it. I mean, I've really tried to be patient with you. Heaven knows that I've tried. I just can't put up with it anymore."

His words hit her hard and she doesn't understand why. She deflects, maintaining a strong front as she pretends that she his words didn't hurt. She musters up enough courage to challenge his glare as she says, "I never asked you to put with me! I never wanted to be your charity case to begin with! So don't put this on me! " She quickly turns away from him, afraid that she might break in front of him- again.

"You know what your problem is?" he calls down the hallway, making her stop mid-step. "When things get too difficult, your instincts are too ignore it and hope that it somehow solves itself. Take yesterday, for example. I finally get somewhere with you yesterday, but then you completely shut me out. It's what you always do. Hell, it's what you're doing right now!"

Gabriella takes a deep breath, preparing to defend herself. She wants nothing more than to prove him wrong. But she knows that he's only speaking the truth. She shuts her eyes and stumbles over to the wall, needing the support it offers. Once again, she has lost control of her emotions. Her head drops and she raises her hands to cover her face. Tears begins to leak from her chocolate colored eyes and she wills them to stop.

_Great. Another fucking thing that I have no control over._

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Troy says as he pulls her off the wall and to him, tucking her head beneath his chin as he holds her tight. "I never want to see you cry. It's just that it feels like everything is two steps forward and one step back with you. It's just so difficult." His gentle tone makes it hard for her to fake a strong front.

"And you think this isn't difficult for me?" she asks through her tears.

"Of course it's not. I mean, of course it's difficult for you and I'm certainly not making this any easier."

She basks in the warmth radiating off him and the smell of his aftershave. He has a sort of hypnotizing affect on her. It's sort of frightening for her to feel this safe in his arms, yet she can't help but wonder why she ever pushed him away in the first place. Why did she prolong this wonderful feeling from occurring? Then it hits her; one of the many roots of her pain. "We were talking about you."

"What?"

"The last conversation I had with my mother was about you. I was thinking about you no more than ten seconds before the car swerved. That's why it hurt so much when I first saw you in Chemistry. I looked at you and the night played over in my head, like a bad song stuck on repeat. I mean, it's happened before, but it was different this time. Because no matter what I did, I couldn't escape you."

Troy pulls back from her, just enough so that he could force her to look at him. His soft eyes scan her tear-stained face as he cups her cheek and uses the pad of his thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears. "Is that why you barely looked at me at first?"

She nods meekly, her eyes drifting shut as she leans into his touch, "It physically hurt to be around you at first. Then something happened. With you forcing yourself into my life, I began to trust you and even depend on you. But you see, I don't want to depend on you. I can't let myself depend on you. I need you to understand at least that much. You make me feel all of these things that I don't understand, that I feel that I don't deserve."

"There's nothing wrong with you leaning on me from time to time. You don't have to go through this alone."

"Don't you get it, Troy?" she asks as she tries to step out of his grip but he only holds her tighter. "What if you meet somebody who is actually good for you? Who isn't borderline insane?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to talk to someone who doesn't need a therapy session all the time but I really don't mind. I wasn't lying that day in the diner.; I really do think you're worth it. Despite all the shit you throw at me and how frustrated I get, I care about you a lot. And I'll be damned if you're hurting and there's nothing that I can do to help."

_Oh gosh. He really does care about me. Doesn't he?_

Gabriella falls silent as she tries to dissect his words. Never has she heard words said so genuinely. True to her nature, she feels the need to run from him. This - whatever it was - is suddenly all to real for her. But before she can pull away, he loosens his grip on her.

"I think we woke up Sydney," he says as he turns to look down the hall. Sure enough, the cries of the youngest Bolton are heard.

"I should-"

"Wait in my room. Please?" Troy pleads as he looks back to her. He doesn't give her a chance to say 'no' as he gently leads her to his bedroom. "It'll only take a second for me to put her back to sleep."

She is suddenly missing the warmth of his body as she steps into his bedroom. As she makes her way to sit on his bed, she freezes in front of a mirror. Staring into its smooth surface, she tries to see what Troy sees- a girl who's worth it. She sees a girl with no makeup covering up her swollen eyes, her hair in an unruly mess, and her jeans hanging loose on her hips. What was so special about this girl?

"We didn't wake her," he says, causing her to quickly turn away from the mirror. "She just couldn't turn back over."

"Oh," she says as she shifts awkwardly under his gaze.

" Look, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I'm really, really sorry."

Gabriella rolls her dark eyes to the ceiling. "Why does everyone keep apologizing to me?"

"I can't speak for everyone, but I'm saying it because I truly am. I don't even know why I said what I did because I didn't mean it. Do you forgive me?"

It takes a lot of courage for her to say what she is about. She doesn't know where the strength come from, but she embraces it as she takes a deep breath. As it seemed to be pointed out throughout her day, he was the only one that understands her and for that she is grateful. "Troy," she begins softly, "this is the one time you shouldn't apologize because you were absolutely right me. I'm too much of a coward to face anything and so I deflect." The words feel foreign for her on her lips and she almost doesn't believe that she spoke them.

A smile slowly works its way to his thin lips as he steps closer to her. "Don't look now, but I think you're starting to prove me wrong."

She can't find the words to speak as their whole conversation registers in her mind. Had they really come to an understanding of one another? He now knew how she feels towards him and vice versa. It's a thrilling and frightening thought rolled into one.

"What does any of this mean for us?" he asks as he carefully places his hands on either sides of her hips.

The question catches her off guard and she timidly looks up at him. She bites down on her bottom lip as she chooses her words carefully. Her mind wanders to her reflection in the mirror and she sighs. "You're an amazing guy, but I don't think I'm the right girl for you. You would be the person that wouldn't leave me and you'd stay with me out of obligation."

"You're deflecting."

She shakes her head and tries to take a step back, but he's holding her firmly in place. "I won't to be the one that holds you back."

"I'm not asking you to marry me," Troy says with a slight laugh. "You and only you have been on my mind since New Year's day. I don't know where we're going to be in a couple of years but I do know that I just want to be with you. If there's anything I've learned, it's that life's too short. Now tell me that you don't want to be with me too and I'll leave the matter alone."

"I don-"

"Remember that I can tell when you're lying."

_Maybe it's been the inevitable all a long. _Gabriella thinks as she slowly raises her hands and rests on his muscular chest. She has run out of reasons to stay away from him and despite the fact that she doesn't understand how she could ever be deserving as someone as him, she can't stop the next set of words from stumbling out of her mouth. "I do want to be with you."

It's a giant step for her to take and it almost seems unnatural that it happened so fast, but as she melts into his arms- it feels right.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh jeez, I have to get up in less than 3 hours for school, but I really wanted to finish this. I hope you guys liked it! I'm actually pretty satisfied with how it turned out. Well, I'm off to bed.  
Thank you for reading and please review!

_Kae xx_


	16. Never Out of Reach

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **I know it's been awhile. I haven't been feeling well, so that kind of effects wether or not I can write. There's just so much going for me in real life at the moment. Thanks again to _**Tayweezy,**_ _**Lia, sillymeggo, kaos2405, OlympicBeliever., xZANESSA4LIFEx, nessjas, zan lil, pumpkinking5, kellyharper, anoddapple, Bridget1297, **_and_** itsi3 **_for the wonderful reviews! Last chapter tied for the most reviewed chapter, so far. YAYZERS!!! XD I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** haha..nope. It was a 16 days wait for chapter 16. =P Just kidding! That's a coincidence- I swear. Glad you loved the last chapter like a fat kid loves cake. lol that's a cute analogy, by the way. hehe..Why the quotations around calm? Do you doubt that they can stay at the level on their roller-coaster of emotions. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! XD

**to **_**Lia**_**: **First of all, thanks so much for checking out my story. It makes me happy that you're really loving. =D yes, Gabi does deserve good things, despited what she thinks. Thank you again for reading and leaving a lovely review. Hope you enjoy the chapter below! XD

* * *

Gabriella wakes up with a start, her body shooting up into a sitting position. Her forehead is clammy and her breathing is ragged. She had just slipped out of a dream that she can't even remember at the moment. All she knows right now is that it had terrified her. It's the gentle tug at her lower waist that makes her acutely aware of her surroundings.

_I do want to be with him._ She thinks as she looks down at the sleeping figure beside her and takes in his silhouette. He's smiling. Now _this_ doesn't seem so terrifying and maybe it's because things are different now. She can feel it in her bones that things will never be the same again and that she has the support of someone that truly cares about her. Like falling asleep in his arms, it just made her feel content.

She is now wide awake and knows that it would be awkward if he caught her watching him sleep. Realization sets in and she remembers that it is a school night. She couldn't risk getting into even more trouble with her a pillow from behind her, she switches her body out for it. She kneels on the bed and couldn't help but smile as he pulls the pillow closer to his body. Impulsively, she bends down to kiss his cheek and miscalculates, landing on the corner of his mouth instead. Sighing, she gropes her way around the darkness that is his room and steps out into the dimly lit hallway.

The house is eerily quiet as she makes her way down the hallway that she has grown all too familiar with. Being the klutz that she is, she runs into a table. A profanity slips from her lips reflectively and she instantly clasps a hand of her mouth.

"Troy, is that you?" The soft voice of Lucille Bolton calls from the nearby room. Before the brunette has a chance to retreat into Troy's room, his mother steps into her path. "Gabriella?"

"Uhmm..Hi Mrs. Bolton."

"I'm surprise that you're still here."

Gabriella can feel the heat rise to her cheeks at the woman's nonchalant tone. "I know it's late and I probably shouldn't be here. This is comple-"

"It's fine, Gabriella. I'm just surprised, is all. I saw Troy's truck, so I didn't think you'd be here."

"We were talking and I guess we fell asleep," she mumbles as she looks down embarrassedly. "I really should be going now."

"Of course, dear. Let me go get Troy so he can drop you off."

"That really isn't necessary."

"Nonsense! I'm not letting you walk home alone, especially this late at night. I wouldn't even let you if you just lived one house over."

Gabriella opens her mouth to protest, but Lucille cuts her off.

"Don't argue with me. Go wait in the foyer and I'll have Troy meet you," Lucille says with a sense of authority and a slight smirk. "Goodnight and thank you again for watching Sydney for me."

"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Bolton. Goodnight!"

"Don't even think of leaving without Troy, I'll just have him chase you down. Oh and if you don't start calling me Lucille, you won't be welcomed back," Lucille jokes as she walks away.

Gabriella involuntarily smiles. Lucille reminds her of her own mother for some abstract reason. Suddenly, something occurs to her as she maker her way towards the front door. She had thought about the accident twice this day and on both accounts, she hadn't felt the urge to cut. She suddenly feels panicked. Cutting had always been her outlet for escaping the pain caused by the accident. Why didn't it hurt now? Just yesterday, she went into panic mode and needed the cool metal to calm her down.

_Maybe none of this is real and I'm just dreaming._

"Hey!"

She turns around to see the sight of Troy walking towards her with his disheveled hair.

The lazy smile playing on his lips is interrupted by a stifled yawn. "You're not trying to runaway from me, are you?" he asks as he comes to a halt in front of her.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she glances shyly up at him as she shakes her from side to side. "You looked so content sleeping; I didn't want to ruin that. I told your mom that I'd be fine walking back alone so you can go back to bed."

"And miss out on an opportunity to be your knight in shinning armor?" he says with a smirk, reaching behind her to open the front door. "Ladies first."

_This is easy._ She thinks as they fall in step with each other on the dimly lit sidewalks. She didn't know what to expect. Is it suppose to be awkward? How should she act? Does she pretend that she didn't have a bipolar moment from being angry to sad to everything in between?

"Are you still tired?" he asks, breaking the silence of the still air between them.

Gabriella blushes at the memory of simply lying in his arms after confessing that she did want to be with him. "Nope, I'm pretty wide awake now." She feels his hand slip into hers and she doesn't hesitate to entwine their fingers.

"That's good. So...Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"I always thought it was the girls in a relationship that fished for heart-to-heart conversations."

"Oh, we're in a relationship now."

She flinches at his amused tone. "I didn't say that," she says quickly.

"But you didn't not say it."

"I hate double negatives"

Troy simply laughs and pulls her to a stop in front of him, beneath one of the streetlights. He takes his free hand and places it beneath her chin, gently forcing her to look at him. "Maybe I should explain something. When person A like person B and person B likes person A and both persons have acknowledge their mutual feelings, then it typically means that a relationship is formed."

"It's that simple, huh?"

"Yes it is. I'll make it even easier. I'm going to refer to you as my girlfriend and you'll refer to me as your boyfriend."

"What if I said that I didn't want to be your girlfriend?"

"You wouldn't say that."

"I wouldn't?"

Troy shakes his head from side to side, causing his hair to fall in front of his eyes. "Because you said that you wanted to be with me too," he says with a smile, gliding his hand up along her jawline and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I know for a fact that you don't lie to me."

"Even when you're being incredibly cute about this, you still manage to sound cocky."

"Was that a yes?"

"We're going to be one dysfunctional couple," she mumbles as she melts at the touch of his hand as it comes to rest at the back of her neck.

"At least we won't be boring."

Gabriella watches as he leans down, his alluring eyes shutting as he inches closer. She feels his breath on her face as she nervously leans in as well. Just as their lips meet, she turns her head to the right so that he pressed a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I'm not deflecting," she says once she see the look of surprise that crosses his face. Her mind has drifted back to time the disastrous kiss on the rooftop. "For my sake, can we take things slow?"

He stares at her for a minute before simply nodding and placing his hands on either side of her waist. "Whatever you need."

She smiles at his understanding words and wraps her arms around his midsection, allowing his warmth to surround her. "This is all happening just a bit too fast for me," she explains, "and it kind of feels like a dream."

"Yeah, well you better get use to it because this - us - is very real," he says as he drops a kiss on the temple and pulls back from their embrace. "While I wouldn't mind hugging you all night, I don't want to get you in trouble with your sister."

Gabriella simply nods as she unwraps her arms from him and they continue their walk in silence, their hands automatically entwining with each other. There is certainly so much for them to say to each other, but for now they are content with simply being in each other's presence. Their walk along the cracked sidewalk of their neighborhood passes by quickly and before they know it, they're standing on front porch of the Moretti home.

Much to her dismay, Troy's whispering a 'goodnight' and envelops her in a hug. "Call me when you get home?" she asks against the fabric of his T-shirt. "So that I know you weren't kidnapped or anything like that on your way home."

Troy chuckles quietly before kissing her forehead and saying, "Will do." He gives her one last squeeze before releasing her. Smiling down at her, he pecks her on the cheek before dropping his hands from her waist. He waits patiently as she slips her key out of her front pocket and places it in the lock. Once she has the door open, he begins his descend down the Moretti's front steps. Every couple of steps, he glances back at her. Perhaps he's making sure that this was real too.

Gabriella leans against the open archway as she watches him disappear around the corner. She quietly shuts and locks the door behind her and the silence that fills the house seems all too loud. The light of the foyer was on but the rest of the house was dark.

_I guess they've given up on me._

She stifles a yawn as she trudges up the staircase, the day's events taking a toll on her. Walking past the master bedroom, she sees that like the rest of the house- it was empty and dark. Furrowing her eyebrows, she continues to her room. Did she fail to notice that Adam's car wasn't in the driveway? Her hand is on the cold doorknob when she hears it.

_What is that?_

She follows the noise down the hall and freezes as it registers in her mind why the sound is so familiar. Genevieve was crying once again. Her steps feel as if they way a ton as she makes her way to the open door at the end of the hall. The sparsely furnished room is dim, the only light radiates from a small lamp on a dresser. In the middle of the room is her sister, shoulders hunched over and shaking with a photo album in front of her. Adam is at her side, hugging his wife tightly and rubbing her back.

A normal person would leave the young couple to preserve their privacy, but Gabriella finds it hard to move. With every sob that resonates in the still air, her chest seems to tighten. She is sure that she has indirectly brought her sister to tears. Reflexively, she grips her forearms and rubs her thumb over the scars.

Before she can make a break for the confines, Adam meets her gaze. He motion for her to enter as he bends down to whisper something into his wife's ear, causing Gabriella's breath catches in her throat. Genevieve's crying seems to reduce to hiccups as she slowly lifts her head to see her sister standing as still as a statue in the doorway. She wipes furiously at her tear-stained face and struggles to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry," Gabriella blurts out, cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Stay," Adam says, not giving her a chance to turn away. He looks down at his wife than at his sister-in-law. "I think there's something you two need to talk about." Placing a kiss atop of his wife's head, he whispers to her once again before pushing himself to a standing position and walking to the doorway. "It's about time this happened. Don't look so scared," he tells Gabriella with an encouraging smile and a gentle shove towards the room.

Her heart beats erratically in her chest and she tries to remember how to breathe as she takes slow steps towards her sister. She hated confrontations and she had spent the last four months avoiding this particular one. Tucking her legs beneath her, she sits in front of her sitter, allowing for the open photo album to act as their barrier. Clearing her throat, she looks anywhere but at her sister and the photos. "Is everything okay with the baby?"

"No, the baby's fine."

_I can't do this._ She thinks as a wave of anxiety washes over her as the sound of Genevieve' s shaky voice reaches her could make up an excuse to leave at this instant. Troy's words about her instincts echo in her head, about how she always deflects. She must face this now, for Troy and more importantly- herself. But where do they begin? Her eyes travel downwards and she catches sight of the photo album. She studies the upside down photo, reaching forward to trace the outline of her toddler self and the pre-teen Genevieve holding her. "Where was this?"

"In Las Vegas, during my spring were on our way to San Francisco, but made a stopover there. Mom and dad left us in our hotel room while they went to gamble."

"You must of been pissed that you had to watch your baby sister during your break."

"Not really, I kind of suggested it."

"Why?"

"For some inconceivable reason, dad loves that stuff and the only thing stopping them from going was you because mom was afraid that if she left, you'd have your first steps without her."

"So I was a burden back then too." The words slip out of her mouth without a second thought and she wonders if her sister heard her.

"You weren't a burden back then and you're certainly not one now," Genevieve says firmly and reaches out to grasp Gabriella's thin wrist. "And I would hate myself if I ever gave you that impression."

"It's okay," she answers automatically as she focuses on her sister holding onto her wrist. It's rather unsettling that Genevieve could be so close to her secret.

"No it's not!" Genevieve snaps. She pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath, withdrawing her thin fingers from her sister's wrist in the process. "Gabs," she begins again in a softer tone, "there is nothing in my twenty-something years of being on this planet that would of prepared me to deal with any of this. When dad passed away, I did nothing to comfort you. That was all mom's doing. So, now I don' know what to say to you and how to act. Maybe that's why I feel like I've been acting like the queen bitch."

"Adam blamed it on the pregnancy," she mumbles as she wrings her hands awkwardly.

"Really? When I get my hands on him, I'll- Sorry, I'm going off topic. This is why I'm not good at this." She lets out a sound of frustration, punctuated by her slamming the photo album. "What I'm trying to say is that I worry about you."

Gabriella looks up in surprise at here sister's words. Sure Adam told her the same thing, but it sounds different coming from her sister's lips.

"Like the other night when you came home late. I know it seemed like I was mad, but I was really scared out of my mind. It was late and you seemed frantic when I last saw you at school. I don't know why, but I was thinking the worst possible thing. Adam tried to calm me down, but all I could think about was my baby sister dead somewhere. Then you walked in and I don't even remember exactly what happened next."

"You blamed me," she mumbles.

"What are you-"

"I had yelled that you weren't mom and you said, 'Yeah, and who's fault was that?'" Her voice is shaky and she fears that she might cry as she shuts her eyes and flashes of the argument plays in her head.

_I can't do this. I can't do this!_

"I can't do this," Gabriella finally says aloud as she struggles to stand. "I-"

"It wasn't directed at you," Genevieve says softly. "I said it as a sort of remark to the person responsible for forcing your car off the road. In the heat of the moment, it just came out. I don't blame you and no matter what happens, I never will."

"You didn't even want to come see me when I was in the hospital!" Gabriella exclaims as she looks down at her pregnant sister on the floor. She is well aware that she sounds frantic, but at this point she doesn't care. "Adam was the first person I saw when I woke up from the sedatives!"

"What are you talking about? I was there with Adam- everyday."

The ground feels as if it's been pulled out from beneath her. All that she thought she knew was gone. Was she the one that created the invisible barrier? She falls back onto the floor and sits with her legs crossed. "I don't remember seeing you and I'm sure that I didn't fly back with you."

"Sweetheart, you weren't even conscious for the majority of the day and that was even after they took you off the painkillers. And you're right, I didn't fly back with you. I had to go home earlier because school started and I couldn't get a sub. I felt terrible about it."

"But you didn't speak to me for a week after the accident," she stutters.

"I tried, but you wouldn't talk to anybody. You wouldn't talk to me, so I gave you some space."

They sit in silence as Gabriella thinks back to the week following the accident. Was it all in her head? No, it couldn't be. Could it? Now she couldn't separate fact from fiction. Is it possible that she remembered it differently?

"Is that you?" Genevieve's voice pulls her out of her thoughts. Her head snaps up, showing the confusion present in her eyes. "I think you're phone's ringing."

Now she hears the sweet melody filling the air. Straightening her legs, she eases the phone out of her front pocket. To her surprise, the screen glows with a picture of Troy.

_When the hell did he get my phone?_

"Who's that?"

"Just Troy," she as she continues to stare at the screen.

"I think you should answer it."

"What?" she finds herself asking as she silences the ringing. "No, no. He can wait."

"Seriously, answer it. I think that we've both said a lot tonight and we have all the time in the world to figure it all out."

Gabriella studies her sister's calm demeanor. Now that she is given the perfect opportunity to escape from this confrontation, she is quite reluctant. She finds herself desperate to understand more about what she does and doesn't remember.

"Just don't stay up too late. You're going to school tomorrow," Genevieve says with a small smile. "Oh and call Adam for me. I don't know why we thought it was a good idea for me to sit on the floor. I can't get up!"

"Well, you're the one that insisted that you could plan everything out better if you sat smack dab in the middle of the room." The dark haired women turn the heads in the direction of the doorway, where Adam now stood smirking. "And that is why you - both of you - should always listen to me."

"My God, Adam. With my ginormous stomach and your large ego, it's a wonder that we all fit in this room."

"Thanks love," Adam says dryly as he walks towards his wife.

Gabriella smiles as she watches the parents-to-be as she gets up. The relationship between her and her sister wasn't completely fix, but at least now they were on the same page. With everything that has been happening lately, that was more than enough for Gabriella to get used to. Her cell phone rings in her hand and she looks down to see Troy's face on the screen once again.

"Goodnight guys!" she calls as she backs out of the room, her thumb hovering over the TALK button on her phone. Quickly walking down the hall and into her room, she closes the door behind her and collapses on her bed as she hits the speaker button on her cell phone.

"_Do you a have a pen ready?_"

"Why?"

"_Because I've been kidnapped and I've decided to use my one phone call on you so that my last words could be recorded._"

"You're so weird!"

"_Says the person that thinks I'm going to get kidnapped during my five minute walk home!_"

They slip into a casual conversation that causes her to laugh as she imagines his smiling face on the other side of the phone call. Not wanting to ruin their playful mood, she doesn't dare bring up the conversation with her sister. Instead, she happily listens to him talk animatedly about this and that. She can't help but think that this is what would of happened if she and her mother never drove away from the ski lodge on that cold winter night.

At those early hours before daybreak, they say their goodnights and she's able to shut her eyes with a seamlessly permeant smile on her face. For once, reality seemed better than her dreamless sleep. Gabriella knew that after tonight there's was no going back to how she used to be. Now, with the knowledge that Troy wasn't going anywhere and that Genevieve's support was never out of reach, moving forward didn't seem so difficult- or scary.

* * *

**A/N:** So, how'd you guys like it? Not as much Troyella, but I had to bring Gen in eventually. I neglected my English paper so that I could finish this chapter. Eek! It's due tomorrow, but I think this was worth it. XD The next chapter's one of my favorite though, by the way.  
Thanks for reading and please review!  
Kae xx


	17. Emotional Pain

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to the lovely reviewers of the last chapter. Thanks again to _**anoddapple, HilaryMileyZanessa, Lia, Tayweezy, xZANESSA4LIFEx,**_ _**pumpkinking5, kellyharper, sillymeggo, hollygirl1823, Clembo29, oxtwilighthsmxo, **_and_** yam14 **_for the wonderful reviews!

**to **_**Lia**_**: **Thank you for the sweet review! So glad you loved the last chapter and you appreciate Gabriella's moment of happiness. haha..I know Troy is really cute and loving. I think I write him _too_ perfect sometimes but ehh...this is fiction. lol So sorry to keep you waiting but I hope you enjoy the chapter below! XD

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** Wow. Way to totally guilt trip me. =P I feel even worse now that's it's been almost two month. Eek! So sorry! But thank you for the review on the last chapter and I L-O-V-E-D that you L-O-V-E-D it. =D I hope this chapter makes up for it in the slightest way!

* * *

**_April 19, 2010_**

"What took you so long?"

"I had to talk to my teacher about some assignment. Thanks for waiting," Gabriella says as she comes to a stop in front of Troy, who is casually leaning against her locker in the empty hallway.

"No problem," he says with an easy smile before bending down to kiss her cheek. "I'd wait till the ends of the earth for you."

She rolls her dark eyes and playfully shoos him off her locker. "Where the hell do you get these lines from? They're so cheesy!" Twisting her combination into her lock, she opens her locker and begins switching out her books.

"I thought girls liked that cliched stuff."

"Well, you can count me out of that stereotype because I'm just going to make fun of you for it."

"Got it," he says into her ear as he hugs her from behind. "I'll keep cliches to a minimum."

Gabriella freezes as she replaces her book on the shelf and catches him starring at her through her locker's mirror, a smile playing on his lips. "What?" she asks as she tilts her head to the side.

"Just remembering how much you jumped when we were watching V for Vendetta over the weekend."

"They popped out of nowhere and grabbed her!" she says as she turns around in his arms to look at him. "Even you can admit that it was a startling moment."

"I honestly don't really remember. I was too busy starring at you," he says with a grin.

"That was kind of lame."

"Too cheesy for your taste?"

Gabriella bites down on her lip and shakes her head from side to side. "Just cheesy enough," she admits before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. It was as simple as this: she felt different. Everything from waking up in the morning to dinner with Genevieve and Adam were experienced differently. And she knew that the guy in front of her had much to do with the change.

"C'mon let's get you fed," Troy says with a smile and kisses her cheek in return.

"Wait!" she says as he pulls her body forward so that he could reaches behind her and shuts her locker. She squirms out of his hold and turns around. Plucking a book from the bottom shelf, she firmly slams her locker shut. Hugging the textbook to her chest, she turns back to him. "Okay, let's get _you_ fed. I can practically hear your stomach grumbling," she teases.

"So did my 3rd period class," he admits, causing her laugh at the image as he takes her book from her and links their hands. They take their time walking along the empty corridor, not saying much and just enjoying the other's company. All eyes fall on them as they enter the bustling cafeteria hand in hand.

Sighing in frustration, she keeps her head down to avoid the jealous gazes of the majority of the female students. "Do they seriously have nothing better to do than to stare?"

"Just ignore them."

"It's hard to when I walk into the room and almost e_v_ery girl is plotting my death."

"Don't be so dramatic!"

"Clearly you don't understand what it's like to be a teenage girl. We're vicious creatures when we feel that our territory has been intruded on. It doesn't help any bit that I'm the new student. Dating you could be hazardous to my safety, you know."

"This is Sharpay's influence, isn't it? I regret ever letting you two meet."

"I'm serious!" she says, yanking her hand out of his grasp and then smacking him on the shoulder.

"I am too, " he says with an amused laugh, completely unfazed by her attack. "The world can only handle one Sharpay Evans."

"Well thanks to our one and only Sharpay Evans, I'm still alive. I swear, this one redhead was about to bite of my head in English class."

"Oh and what did Shar do?"

"Scream at her."

"Of course she did cuz that's what she does best," he replies, amusement lacing his tone. "Sorry you have to put up with jealous girls. If it makes you feel any better, I have to listen to guys talk about how hot you are."

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she shakes the thought from her head. "No, it doesn't. Now I feel creeped out, like someone's watching me."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll keep you safe from any creepy stalkers," he says flexing his free arm for her.

Gabriella unhooks their hands to give him a playful shove as she looks around to make sure that no one someone saw his little stunt. "You're so weird," she says, crossing her arms in front of her and continuing on to the table without him. Not a minute passed before she felt his strong arms encase her from behind, causing her to squeal.

"I'm starting to feel unappreciated," Troy says into her ear.

Angling her head in attempts to see him, she begins to say something but stops when something hit her square in the chest. Whipping her head back around, she instantly looks to the floor to see a chicken nugget laying by her feet. "What the hell?" she mutters, stepping out of Troy's hold. "Someone just chucked a chicken at me. I told you there are some crazy girls that are after me!"

"Death by chicken? Really?" Troy says as he merely chuckles, bending down to pick up the breaded meat.

Placing her hand on her hip, she looks at him with a menacing look. "Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not," he says with a smile that says otherwise "Besides, I think it was an accident." He turns her around and points to a table not far away. Sure enough, Chad has his head buried into his folded arms resting on the tabletop while the people around him laugh. Linking their hands once again, he practically pulls her towards the table. "Hey guys!" he greets when they take a seat in the spot left open for them.

"What took you guys so long?" Sharpay prompts before raising her hand and shaking her blonde head. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Funny Shar," Troy says dryly before throwing the breaded chicken back at Chad, only to have it bounce off his afro and breadcrumbs sticking to the tight ringlets.

Chad's head shoots up immediately, his hands going to his hair. "What the hell did you just throw at my hair?"

"I was only returning the chicken you threw at Brie," he says with a nod towards the petite brunette beside him.

_Brie?_ Gabriella questions to herself as she turns to Troy, who doesn't acknowledge that he called her something other than her first name.

"In my defense, I was aiming for you."

"Well, Mr. Co-Captain of the Baseball Team, I hope you're not the pitcher cuz you suck."

"Hey now, don- "

"Is it just me, or is every girl's right boob bigger than their left?"Sharpay says, cutting Chad off and causing all eyes to land on her. "That was not an open invitation to stare at my boob!" she scolds, folding her arms over her chest.

Zeke coughs awkwardly, shifting his gave to anywhere but at his girlfriend. "Shar, when you say things like that, you kinda draw attention to that area."

Sharpay rolls her eyes glances over at Taylor. "Are yours like that?"

Chad cut his girlfriend off, just as she opens her mouth. "Hey Taylor, if you want, I could check to see if they're the same size," Chad suggests, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Touch me Danforth and I will castrate you."

Gabriella bites back a laugh at her new friends' antics. Feeling eyes on her, she glances sideways to find Troy starring at her with amused eyes. She can't help but smile as he unexpectedly kisses the top her head and loosely places an arm around her as he brings her closer to him.

Across from the couple, Ryan shifts awkwardly in his seat. Clearing his throat, he asks, "Is anyone else uncomfortable with this conversation?"

"I am," Troy announces as he raises his free hand. "Shar, I'm almost afraid to ask this," he begins nervously, " but why would you even bring up that topic?"

"You see, I was out bathing suit shopping and I couldn't help but notice," she replied with a simple shrug.

"Was it really necessary to bring it up now?" Ryan adds.

"Yes it was."

"You couldn't save it for girl time?" Chad asks, adding his input into the interrogation.

"Why would I want to do that?" She feigns innocents.

A laugh escapes from Gabriella's lips and she looks over to her new blonde friends. "Sharpay, I think that the guys are trying to hint that they would rather not hear about your chest at lunch."

"Exactly," the guys exclaim simultaneously.

"Fine," she finally agrees then adds, "But isn't that what guys talk about when their girlfriends aren't around? Boobs?"

"Baby, we would never do that." Zeke coaxes.

"Sure you don't," the blonde replies, sounding unconvinced.

Troy hunches over to whisper into Gabriella's ear. "For the record, _I_ would never do that."

"That's good to know," she says as she smiles up at him.

"Okay, so new topic," Zeke prompts and turning back to his girlfriend, "I'm going to buy some chips. Shar, do you want anything?"

"A bottle of water please, Zekey."

Chad snickers at his friend's pet name, missing the way Taylor looks at him expectantly. "What?" he exclaims when he finally notices.

"Why is it that I have to ask you to get me something, when Zeke just offers to do things for his girlfriend?"

Chad rolls his eyes at his girlfriend's words, making Troy chuckle beside him. "I thought you liked being independent?"

"That doesn't mean chivalry is dead!"

"Fine. You want anything?"

"No. I have everything I need," she says as she pulls out a brown bag from her convenient roller bag.

Chad turns to Troy. "I do not understand women."

"Well, buddy, they are a complicated subject," Troy jokes, earning him glares from the women of the table, particularly Taylor and Sharpay. He turns to the beauty beside him and asks, "Brie, do you need anything?"

"Nope, I have an apple," she says, smiling to herself at the new nickname and reaching into her bag to pull out the yellow fruit.

"Pizza and fries it is," he says with a smirk.

"See! Even Troy is a perfect gentlemen!"

"That's because they're still in that honeymoon-ish stage," Chad argues, causing blushes to erupt on both Gabriella and Troy's cheeks. It didn't take very long for their group friends to figure out that they were officially together. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Troy was exceedingly affectionate with his hugs and kisses on her cheek. "Besides, you don't need anything," he adds in a deadpan manner.

"It's the gesture that counts," she responds in an exasperated tone.

"And on that note, I'm going to get some food," Troy says as he releases Gabriella's waist and stands from the table. "Try not to kill each other while we're gone," he teases before walking off with Zeke in toe.

Leaning over to Sharpay, Gabriella whispers, "I'm starting to think this is normal for them to fight."

Not even bothering to match Gabriella's whispers, she says, "It has been like this ever since Chad knocked Taylor over while playing dodgeball in 4th grade."

"Isn't that kind of the point of the game?"

"Not when you're playing on the same team."

Gabriella let's out a silent 'Oh' and falls silent. She listens as the Evans twins discus the potential plays for the coming school year, while Taylor and Chad continue arguing about this and that. But the noise around Gabriella begins to fade as she notices a thin girl walking by herself. She hides beneath a grey sweatshirt that is disproportionate to her stick-like legs. Long blonde hair cascades down her back as she settles down on to an empty table. There's nothing spectacular about this girl but Gabriella sees something familiar in her eyes, or rather it's what she doesn't see.

"That's Claire."

Gabriella tears her eyes from the fragile girl and looks over at the blonde beside her. "Who?"

"Claire Smith: East High's resident anorexic," Sharpay says as she examines her nails.

"Who's Claire again?" Ryan asks as he swivels around in his seat and scans over the crowd of people.

"That emo chick in homeroom that always wore black long sleeves and really heavy black liner." Leave it to Sharpay to identify someone based on their fashion choices.

"Also known as: the cutter," Chad says as he holds out his wrist and pretends to cut a straight line on it.

Gabriella gasps. She isn't naive enough to think that she was the only one in the world that chooses to inflict pain on themselves but its unsettling that there's someone in such close proximity. She can't even begin to imagine what would cause the girl to cause that girl to inflict so much damage on herself.

"Wait a minute, she cuts? Like herself?" The blonde boy doesn't even bother to hold back his shock as he throws another glance in Claire's direction.

Sharpay rolls her big brown eyes and runs her manicured hands through her hair. "Duh, Ryan! Why do you think she went to rehab?"

"I thought that was just to treat her eating disorder. I would of never thought that she'd hurt herself."

"She's emo," Chad says bluntly as he wrestles his sandwich out of its plastic cage. "Is it really a shock that she's a cutter?"

"I guess not." Ryan falls silent, along with the rest of the table. Every few seconds, he looks back over at the almost skeleton-like blonde.

"If you ask me, Claire is fucking crazy," Chad says with his mouth full of a bite of his sandwich. "Who in their right mind would cut themselves?

Gabriella feels a tightening in her chest as she struggles to take a breath. Her pulse quickens and she wrings her hands beneath the table. She is very much aware of where this conversation was headed.

_I can't listen to this._

Taylor smacks her boyfriend's arm, nearly causing him to drop his lunch. "Stop being as ass, Chad. Don't judge her like that," Taylor scolds. "Just look around our table. We're a mixture of brainiacs, drama kids and jocks eating lunch together. That alone breaks several stereotypes."

Rubbing his arm wear she had hit him, Chad says, "I just don't understand why someone would want to cut themselves. You would have to be sick in the head to purposely put yourself in pain. Why in the world would anyone do that?"

"I know as much as you do about it," Taylor says softly. "All I'm saying is that there has to be more to the story. I feel sorry for her because _something_ must have happened for her to start in the first place."

Chads scoffs. "I don't. Obviously, she's just looking for attention. Isn't that what she accomplished by going from a peppy cheerleader to emo? She puts on this act for people to feel sorry for her. I mean, c'mon! Her family is like perfect!"

"He has a point," Ryan says, "Her parent's are still married and they're both doctors. So, they're pretty well off."

"See! What does she have to be depressed about?"

"For heaven's sakes, Chad! You aren't her!" Taylor snaps, daggers shooting out her brown eyes. "How could you possibly know what she's going through?'

"Okay, fine. I don't know her and chances are I never will. But answer this: how exactly does hurting yourself make anything better?"

"The physical pain masks the emotional pain and it's something to control." Gabriella is surprised by the sound of her voice. She clamps a hand over her mouth and sinks further into her seat, desperately wishing Troy was there.

"So they rather slice their arm than yell at someone?" Chad asks her directly, causing every one to look at her.

_Fuck! I can't do this!_

"I don't know," she struggles to says as she feels her throat constricting. She hastily stands, gripping the strap of her messenger bag. "I gotta go," she says more so to herself than to the group of friends around the table. Simultaneous "Why?"- s and "What?"-s and even a dramatic "Nooo!" fills the air of the noisy cafeteria. She ignores their confused stares as she says, "I…uh…forgot….I forgot that I needed to…uhmm...needed to print something from the library."

"Who's you're teacher next period?" Sharpay prompts. "Maybe they could-"

"No," she says firmly as she takes a stop away from the table. "I have to do this now. Let Troy know that I'm sorry and I'll see him Chem. Bye!" She turns her back on them and takes calm steps in the direction of the exit.

_Breathe in. Breathe out. _

Gabriella is certain that she has left an impression on them. With every step she takes, she feels their eyes on her and she isn't oblivious to their attempts at a discrete conversation. She's sure that they were talking about her but there's a building pain in her chest that distracts her from caring. Perhaps she hasn't changed at all.

* * *

**A/N:** So..did you like it? I know I was gone for awhile but in between me being sick and my lil sis's hospitalization for 3 weeks, I had an AP exam while I was busy trying to get my grades up. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait. Good news is that a week from today, I'll be on summer vacation so I'll get more time to write! XD

I really hope you guys liked this chapter; I didn't realize how difficult it would be to write. The inspiration came from the stereotype that if you cut, then you're emo and kind of life in general. As a final PSA: watch what you say because you don't always know just who you're hurting.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Kae xx

**to **_**alendri**_**: **I tried PM-ing you but you had that feature blocked. To answer your question from way back, no I don't speak Tagalog. I wish I did though! Nice to meat another Filipino! I think you're like the 6th one I met on here. =P Glad you love Entwined andthank you for adding it to your favorite stories list! Means a lot to me.


	18. Can't Help

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N: **WHAT TIME IS IT? SUMMERTIME! IT'S OUR VACATION! Lol I'm not sure if that's how it goes. Regardless, I'm on summer vacation and it is freaking amazing. XD Anywho,Thanks again to _**Lia, HilaryMileyZanessa, zan lil, alendri, sillymeggo, liv3. in. love3, zanessa14, pumpkinking5, anoddapple, xZANESSA4LIFEx, OlympicBeliever., AerisTifaYuffie, kellyharper,, **_and_** Tayweezy, **_for the lovely reviews! I really do appreciate each and every one! Enjoy!

**to **_**Lia**_**: **lol Yay! The last chapter had me more nervous than normal, so it's great to hear that you loved it! And yes! I'm on TH! Oddly enough, I've been wondering if you're the same 'Lia' from TH since your first review; I just was to shy to ask. =P So thank you for your sweet review! XD

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** haha..Ello to you too. really? Well this chapter didn't take that long to come out so..ha! no complaints from you. Unless you really, really want to. =P I'm glad you thought the last chapter was really good. Hope you enjoy the chapter bellow!

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Gabriella finds herself in the safety of the rooftop garden. She doesn't think about the last time she came here, when she broke down in front of Troy. Her focus is on her breathing as she tries to block out the scene in the cafeteria. The memory won't leave her as she stumbles to her spot on the bench. She drops her bag to the floor and pulls her knees to her chest, burying her face into her arms.

_In. Out._

It's amazing how such simple, seamlessly meaningless words affect her so much. She knows that the words weren't meant to criticize her but it hurt all the same. A wave of emotions courses through her and there is nothing she wants more than for it to stop. Forgetting that it's been nearly a week since she last cut and that in the past few days, she's been at her happiest in months, she reaches for her infamous makeup bag.

_Where the hell is it?_

It's extremely hard for her not to panic when she doesn't feel the sliver of metal touch her finger tips. When did it even go missing? Carelessly dropping the useless makeup bag to the floor, she pushes up her left sleeve to her elbow. There are no new cuts for her to irritate and so she spends her time running fingers over the scars. She shuts her eyes and tries to imagine that with each stroke, a new cut is formed.

"Shit, Gabs. Please tell me that you didn't."

Her brown eyes snap open and are met with concerned blue ones. "I didn't," she says barely above a whisper, pushing up her long sleeves to reveal her scarred arms and then briefly lifting the hem her shirt just above her bellybutton. "Did you take my blade?"

"Yeah, back when I found out. I thought it would stop you but it obviously didn't because you must have one at home."

"That I do," she says with a slight nod as she pushes down her sleeves.

Troy rocks awkwardly on his feet as he stands in front of her with his hands stuffed into his front pockets. "So," he drawls, "are you gonna tell me what happened back there?"

"It's nothing. Really. "

"If there's anything my mom has taught me, it's that when a woman says 'nothing' it is usually something. I'm not going to force you to tell me, but it would be nice to know what caused you to leave without waiting for me. Because, clearly, you're not printing something off in the library."

Gabriella doesn't bother to feed him one of her lies. Unlike the group of friends enjoying their lunch period, Troy can see through them. Sighing, she gestures for him to take a seat beside her. "Do you know a girl named Claire Smith?" she asks carefully.

"Yeah, I dated her in middle school."

"Wow," she muses. "You just attract the people with issues, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, genuinely confused.

"According to Sharpay, Claire recently got herself released from rehab for an-"

"Anorexia. Yeah, I know. Something happened with her awhile back and-."

"And she cuts." Gabriella concludes for him, keeping her head down.

"She does?" he asks, sounding every bit as surprised as Ryan. "How do you know?"

"Sharpay told us and Chad felt the need to comment on how she's putting on a show for attention." She feels his blue-eyes burning a hole through her as she fiddles with the hem of her sleeves. Jumping slightly when she feels his hand on her lower back, she lifts her head to meet his gaze. "It hurt to have to sit there and listen to what they thought about cutting. They don't know what they're talking about. They don't understand. And as ridiculous as this sounds, it felt like they were criticizing me and I felt embarrassed about it."

Letting out a huff of breath, he scoots closer to her and drapes an arm around her shoulder. "It's not ridiculous and you shouldn't feel embarrassed about it. Listen, Chad can be pretty dense sometimes. He likes to think that he knows everything, but he really doesn't. Gabs, if they knew-"

"Then they would see me in the same light as Claire. They would say that I'm _creating_ my own problems and that I _must_ be out of my mind to inflict pain on myself."

"Since when do you care what people think of you?"

"I normally don't but I just..." She can't find the words to finish and so she tears her eye away from his and lets out a quiet breath. "I saw myself in her and it's just not because she cuts. There's this look in her eyes and if I had to put it in words, I'd say they were empty."

Gabriella doesn't blame him for falling silent. If the situations were reversed, she would be mute too. Despite her words sounding as lifeless as she felt at the moment, she can't stop more from slipping from her lips. it felt strangely uplifting to be able to sort her thoughts out loud. "Do you remember that day on the rooftop when you thought I was anorexic or something?"

"Yeah."

"You asked me what the difference was between having an eating disorder and self-mutilation. The difference is that self-mutilation is something personal. I'm not saying that eating disorders aren't personal, because they obviously are. But _anyone_ could be a cutter. It's not just that stereotypical crap Chad was talking about. You often can't tell just by looking at someone. There's nothing on display that the world can judge me on because you rarely see the effects. I mean, the damage is there if you only look hard enough. It's only there if you come looking for it."

"Wait a second. Gabriella, you're not damaged. I kn-"

"And it's just not the physical damage, it's the emotional one as well," she says, ignoring that he even spoke. "Maybe, Chad's right. There _is_ something wrong-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Troy says sharply, cutting her off as he moves to kneel in font of her. "I know that I wasn't there to hear what Chad or what anyone else had to say but get it out of your head because you, Gabriella Montez, are not damaged."

_I wish it were true._

"You're stubborn, unpredictable and even a bit of a control freak," he continues with the slightest foreshadowing of a smile, "But not damaged. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you."

_A murderer? A cutter? An unstable bitch?_

Gabriella burns a hole through her sleeves with her stare. How could he see anything through her marred surface? Especially when she can't see it herself. Her body tenses as Troy takes her left wrist and rolls up her sleeve to her elbow. She tries to pull away, but he holds her with a firm grip.

"Brie, you're a lot stronger than you think," he says as he strokes her healing gashes.

As soon as the nickname reaches her ears, she lifts her head to meet his gaze. "You keep calling me 'Brie'."

He chuckles softly as he stands and moves to sit beside her, draping his left arm around her. "I was wondering when you would notice. Do you not like it?"

"No, it sounds fine and nobody has ever called me it before. It's just that," she pauses, searching for the right words, "isn't Brie a type of cheese?"

"You're right, it is cheese. Ready to hear my brilliant reasoning?" Gabriella nods into his shoulder, where she lays her head. Tightening his grip around her, he says, "Not that you don't have a beautiful name, it sounds so formal. So I kind of went through the possible ways to twist your name around for a nickname. Then I finally landed on the 'Brie' in Ga-Brie-Ella. I thought of the cheese too but then I thought more about it and the more it described you. Brie is a kind of soft, mild, creamy cheese with a firm outer skin; that's pretty much you to the t. You have this tough and sometimes cod exterior, but inside you're thoughtful and considerate and have a real soft spot for pleasing others."

She's silent for a moment as she goes through his words again in her head. "It's kind of dorky -in a really impressive way- that you came up with that but it's also really sweet," she finally admits. She snuggles further into him and breathes deeply, taking in the smell of his musky cologne. In this moment, she feels completely content. That craving for her blade disintegrating into thin air.

Troy reaches over and once again takes her scarred forearm into the palm of his hand. "Brie," he begins, "don't take what Chad said about Claire and cutters to heart. Both of you are just coping with life the only way you guys know how. It's not the best, but your surviving until you finally see that you really don't need some blade."

"You sounds so sure of yourself," she mutters against him, her eyes shut tight.

"It's because I am and you know how I know?"

"How?"

"Because you're not damaged," he whispers into her ear like its an earth shattering secret, "At least not damaged beyond repair. There's still hope for you, just like there's hope for Claire."

Gabriella feels him lift her forearm and before she realizes it, she feels his thin lips press a single kiss on her scarred flesh. She is frozen in her spot until something finally clicks inside of her. Acting purely on instinct, she lifts her head from his shoulder, causing him to look over at her. She takes in his gentle smile and her eyes drift shut momentarily when he drops a kiss on her forehead. But as soon as he pulls back, she tentatively takes her other hand, places it on the side of his face and guides his mouth to meet hers.

Troy doesn't respond to the languid kiss right away. Perhaps he's thinking about the same thing she is. She knows that she's walking a dangerous line but she continues kissing him as she waits for the pain to consume her. Time passes and she feels nothing. Nothing except the unbelievable feeling of kissing someone who cares about you just as must as you care about them.

Smiles adorn their faces when they finally pull away. It was just a series of innocent kisses, far from the franticness of the first time around, but for Gabriella it was absolutely perfect. She can't even begin to explain the contentment that comes with reacting to a kiss like a normal person would. If his hand didn't rest at the base of her neck, she's sure that she float away into the picturesque sky, The scene in the cafeteria is filed away in the back of her mind as she lives in the now.

In one fluid motion, Troy leans down to brush his lips against hers. "Wow," he mutters against her lips before planting a final, sweet kiss.

She mirrors his smile as she realizes that it's only with him that she feels this content. It amazes her how he could affect her so much. he feels a sense of pride for

"So, how do you feel now?" he prompts as she rest her head on his shoulder and his arm comes down around her waist.

_Why can't I ever just enjoy these moments?_

"Better," she says, as her eyes drift shut again. "But it's honestly going to take a lot more than all the right words from you and the like to make me forget about the thing with Chad and Claire."

He sighs. "I'll keep saying it till you believe me: Chad's wrong about his implications."

"Troy, I appreciate it but I think this is one of things I need to figure out for myself. You really are saying all the right things but I just don't want to think about it anymore. So please, can we just not talk about it right now?"

"Okay, fine. How's the baby room coming along?"

Relieved that he dropped the subject, she doesn't notice the slight stiffness in his voice. "It's going well. They finally deiced on this pastel yellow color with pale blue for the flowers. How handy are you with a brush?"

"Is this your way of telling me that I've been enlisted as a painter?"

"Pretty much and a mover when they get all the furniture."

"What's missing?"

"The crib."

"Cribs are found pretty much anywhere. Why do you sound so sad about it?"

She sighs, not at all surprise that he picked up on the change of her mood through those to syllables. "Because once again, I have made life inconvenient for them."

"You lost me, Brie."

"The first thing my mother did when they announced they were pregnant was order them a crib engraved with 'Montez-Moretti'. That's the crib they want for their daughter's room."

"What's stopping them from getting it?"

"Me," she says simply. "I overheard them talking about it. Gen has her heart set on it but that would mean going back to our house on the west side of town. She doesn't think I'm ready to go back to the house and she's afraid of how I'll react if I see it."

"Well, what do you think? Do you think you can handle it?'

Gabriella finally opens her eyes and lifts her head to look at him. "I don't know. I've only been back once and it was to get my stuff. I had a panic attack so Adam had to ask my best friend to pack the rest of my clothes. I want to do it because I know it'll mean a lot to them but I'm kind of scared."

"It's only natural that you would be scared. I mean, _I_ was when I went back to my dad's house after his death. But I think that it some ways, I needed it to help me move on."

"So, you think I should go back?"

"I think this is another thing you need to figure out for yourself."

"I hate when you use my words against me," she says with a slight pout, causing him to chuckle softly and kiss it away. "Would you be there with me?" she asks against his lips.

Troy pulls back slightly and studies her solemn expression. "Only if you want me to be," he says, raising a hand to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. "I'd even take you there."

"What if something happens?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know but take today for example. I hadn't cut in days and I've been happier this past week then I've been in months. But then something happens and I just lose it. The urges come back and it just hurts so much that I want to give in."

"Then I'll be right there to talk you down from it or whatever you need me to do," he says as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

_He's too good for me._

"But I have one condition if you want me to come."

"Okay," Gabriella says slowly. "What is it?"

"You have to promise me that you'll at least try to stop cutting for good."

_What?_

"I can't," she says quickly, relinquishing all physical contact from him and opting to walking over to the railing.

"You mean, you won't. There's a big difference."

"What happened to letting me figure it out for myself?"

"Maybe all you need is a shove in the right direction," Troy says, wrapping his arms from behind her. "And as fate would have it, here's the perfect incentive to stop. Just think about this for a second. Imagine yourself in 5 or 6 years and you're baking cookies with your niece. You're having so much fun that you forget about the scars on your arm as you roll up your sleeves. In that cute baby voice of hers, she asks you what happened. What are you going to say? The truth is obviously out of the question and it isn't just because she to young to hear it. But it's because she'll learn from you. She'll grow up thinking that her beautiful and smart aunt used to cut to make herself feel better, so why wouldn't it work for her?"

Gabriella is silent during Troy's lecture and long after it. Anger seeps from her body as she picture her unborn niece growing up to be like her. Little Maria, her mother's namesake, marring her own skin to save herself. Chills run down her spine as the disturbing imagine pops into her head. But what if, heaven forbid, Maria went through what she did. What if she had killed one, if not both, of her parents? Would the act be excusable then? Shaking her head from the possibility, she mutters, "I hate you."

"For what? Making you think about someone other than yourself?" he quips, tightening his arms when she tries to slip out of his embrace.

"Let go of me," she says through gritted teeth. She takes a large step away from him, keeping her back to him.

"Brie, what do you really have to lose? I'm just asking you to make the conscious decision to at least try and in return, you get a chance to really make up with your sister. You two were starting to get better, right?"

"Yeah, but it really isn't that simple. I can't just say that I'll stop and boom! I'm no longer a cutter."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't work that way."

"How would you know? It's not like you've given it a shot," he says, his voice growing louder with each step he takes. "Just try, that's all I'm asking. I promise if we get there and - heaven forbid - something should happen, I'll most certainly try to talk you down but I won't stop you."

_Cutting is my safety blanket. I just can't see myself without it to fall back on. _Gabriella thinks as she almost painfully shuts her eyes and buries her head in her hands. When she woke up this morning, she never would of imagined that her day would turn out like this. That she would have to make such a decision.

"Shit. Are you crying? Brie, I-"

"No I' not crying," she snaps, keeping her face buried in her hands. "I'm just trying to process all of this. I went from feeling like someone stabbed a knife into my chest to feeling on top of the world to just plain panicking."

"Brie, I'm not trying to put you on the spot here. You really don't have to make the decision right this instant." Troy clears his throat and she hears the shuffling of sneakers. "I guess that I'll see you in Chem."

There's something about the defeat in his voice that moves her. What if by denying him this request, he sees no hope for her? She can't explain it but the thought of losing him scares her almost as much as going back to her childhood home. "Would you be mad at me if I started again?" she asks somewhat quietly as she imagines him walking away.

"I could never be mad at you."

"Disappointed?" she says, biting her lip and turning around slowly to face him.

"Of course not," he begins to say, waking towards her and placing his hands on her hips, "especially if you honestly tried your hardest."

She tentatively places her hands on his defined chest, sliding them upwards until they link together at the back of his neck. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she mutters, shutting her dark eyes when she feels his lips on her forehead.

"You'll be okay," he whispers back and releases one of her sides to gently tit her head up to him. "Brie, I promise you, you're a lot stronger than you think."

As he seals his promise with a kiss, she can't help but think of how 1) incredible his lips feel on hers 2) lucky she is to have him to lean on and 3) she might just be okay.

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**A/N: **haha..so that was really staying true to their roller coaster-ish nature, right? I really hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm actually pretty satisfied with it. =D And now it's time for me to give Amazed the attention it deserves. So if anybody from hear is reading that, look for an update within the coming week.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Kae xx


	19. Move Forward

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N:** Thank you to _**zan lil, sillymeggo, pumpkinking5, OlympicBeliever., xZANESSA4LIFEx,**_ _**Lia, Tayweezy, xZanessaFreakx, pamylz, zanessa14, Bridget1297, Ash207 **_and _** inkisexpen **_for the sweet reviews! Sorry for the wait, things came up and I didn't have much time to write. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**to **_**Lia**_**:** Hey there! It's so great to hear that you loved the last chapter. haha..yeah, Gabi's basically a walking time bomb with the most random situations setting her off. Oh and I love Troy too. =D He's one of my favorite characters I've ever written. Thank you so much for the kind review and I hope you like the chapter below! XD

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** lol that's a lot of 'love' for the last chapter. I'm so glad that you really did love it. You'll probably enjoy the chapter below (well, I'm at least hoping that you are) because it's lot of Troyella interactions. Thank you so much for the sweet review! XD

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_**April 24,2010**_

"Brie, are you alright?"

"Perfect," she squeaks, her dark eyes burning a hole through the glass of the wood framed door in front of her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't remember how to as she stared through the partially opaqued glass, she sees the dining room table and the shrine her mother had decorated to her children. It's hard for her to believer that after all this time, she was really standing on the welcome mat of her childhood home.

"Liar," he whispers into her ear as he slips his arms around her rigid body from behind. "If you want, I can run in and find the crib for you."

"No, I should do it. I mean, I have to do it eventually. I just- not now."

"Look, I'm not going to force you but since we're already here-"

"No, I meant not at this second. C'mon I'll treat you to a late lunch or something," she says, turning in his arms and rubbing his stomach. "I know you're hungry. It's been more than two hours since you last ate."

"You're such a nice girlfriend."

Gabriella feels the heat raise to her cheeks and her stomach does a little backflip. The word still sound so strange to her ear. "Let's go," she says, leaning up to peck him on the cheek before twisting out of his embrace and running back to the beat up white truck sitting at the curb.

"I drive you all the way here," Troy begins as he approaches her side of the truck, "and-"

"Yeah, a whole 30 minute drive," she interrupts with a scoff.

He shoots her a playful glare as he ducks his head to her open window. "And all I get is a kiss on the cheek?"

She rolls her eyes in mock exasperation and leans up to meet his lips. She miscalculates, catching his upper lip between hers and begins giggling as she quickly pulls away. With his eyes still closed, his head drops in disappointment but he smiles nevertheless. She raises her hand to brush his bangs out of his face and trails down to rest on his cheek.

"Tease," Troy says, lifting his head and kissing the inside of her wrist before pushing off of her car door. He climbs through the bed of his truck and slips into the driver's seat. "Since we're on your side of town, do you want to drive?" he asks as he turns his key in the ignition. If he was looking at his girlfriend at that moment, he would of seen the way her face instantly paled at his words.

"I can't. I mean, I haven't-"

"Shit! That was a stupid question," he says, sensing the panic in her voice. He reaches over to still her wringing hands and links them with his. "Sorry, I'm an idiot. Just point me in the direction of the food."

A smile slowly makes it s way to her face as she hears him return to his light tone. "Just make a U-turn to go back to the subdivision entrance and make right and then make another right at the third stoplight. I'll point it out to you when it comes into view."

He gives her hand a final squeeze before releasing it and shifting his truck into gear.

"Turn right here," she says, pointing to a small shop at the end of the plaza.

"It seems kind of empty," Troy comments as he pulls up to a parking space.

She hardly hears him as her eyes are drawn towards weathered down stickers on a nearby column. It's her and Kelsi AP stickers from their first AP exam freshmen year. That was all the wake up call she needed for it to finally sink in that she was home. She runs a hand through her dark locks as she lets out breath.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks as she meets him at the cafe's entrance and links their hands.

"I will be if you stop asking me that every five minutes."

"Okay, I'll stop. So what exactly is this place?"

"It's a Mediterranean cafe so they sell a bunch of wraps and stuff like humus."

"For once, I'm not that hungry but I wouldn't say no to desert. Do they have anything good?"

"There's the traditional Greek desert baklava which is pretty good but my favorite thing from this place are these Greek butter cookies called kourambiethes."

"One of each then. Do we just go over to the register and order?"

She nods and begins to walk over, stopping only when Troy pulls on her hand.

"I'll get the food," he says to her silent question and shoves her in the opposite direction. "Just go pick a table for us to sit. No, I'm not making you pay." He adds the later when she hands him money.

"I'm treating," she protests, taking his hand and attempting to literally shove money in his hands, "and it's the least I could do for making you drive me all the way out here."

"You didn't make me do anything. Besides, I rather take my payment in another form," he says with a wink, causing her to simply roll her eyes in annoyance.

Gabriella stumbles a bit from the little shove a smirking Troy gave her. She glares at him as she gravitates towards her favorite table in the back. Settling into the seat closest to the wall, she instantly finds yet another AP sticker. She remembers how she and her estranged best friend would frequently come in after school and sit at this very table.

_Oh God. The last time I was here was before winter break_

"Why are you all the way over there?" he asks, pulling her out of her memories. He sits opposite to her and reaches across the circular table for her hand.

"Cuz it's my favorite seat."

"Yeah," he comments as he tugs on her hand to coax her out of her seat and lead her around to his side of the table. Pulling her onto his lap, he slips his arm under the jacket drowning her body and around her waist. "Well, I like you sitting here. See, isn't that better?" he says, kissing her cheek sweetly. "According to the person behind the counter, we came at the best possible time. The cookies are about to come out of the oven so they're going to be nice and warm. Anyway, how did you even find this place? I would of driven right by it."

She lazily loops her arms around his neck and smiles as she pecks his cheek in return. "My best friend and I walked all the way here when we got early release after our AP Human Geography exam freshman year," she says, doing her best at ignoring the butterflies in her stomach as his fingertips graze the skin that the hem of her tank top exposed.

"Oh yeah. We passed by it on our way here. Which reminds me," he pauses, a smirk forming on his this lips. "Not that I don't love seeing you with in my jacket but why did you think that it was a good idea to wear it on Knight territory?"

"I didn't really think about it at the time."

"You're cute when you blush."

"I'm not blushing."

He makes a sound of agreement and swoops down to capture her lips in a chaste kiss. "Sure you're not," he mutters against her lips, "and you're not enjoying this." He slowly kisses her upper lip, then sucks on her bottom lip before slipping his tongue into her mouth and dueling with her own. His hand slips underneath her tank top, tracing imaginary patterns onto the small of her back.

_Shit. How did I put this off for so long? _

"Bolton!" a male voice barks, causing the two to slowly pull away. "I think you and your girlfriend got a bit lost on your way to the nearest bedroom."

Troy looks over Gabriella's head, which she buried into the crook of his neck in attempts to hide her flaming cheeks. "Didn't know that you were a comedian, Cross. I guess it's only fitting after you hilariously missed that lost shot."

_Cross? Jason Cross? _She thinks as her body tenses. It couldn't be him, could it?

"It's all good Bolton. All that lost meant is that I get to cream your ass at the Championship Game. So in the meantime, why don't you and your girlfriend get the fu-"

"Jase, be nice!"

Gabriella recognizes the voice at once. Even if it was suppose to be serious, it had come out in a sickly sweet tone. Now she knows for sure that she cannot turn around.

"Babe, relax. We're just messing around. Bolton, this is my girlfriend Kelsi."

"Hey, I'm Troy and this is-"

"I'm going to be sick," Gabriella announces before he gets a chance to say her name. She stumbles out of her boyfriend's grasp and all but runs in the direction of the bathroom, making sure that Troy's so-called rivals didn't catch a glimpse of her face. Slipping into the singular bathroom, she locks the door and begins to pace the length of the small room.

_I'm such an idiot! Of course they would be here! This is Kelsi's favorite cafe! _

Much to her dismay, she knows that she can not stay in here for long. Troy would probably worry and come after her, if she didn't emerge soon. She wonders if she can pretend that they're complete strangers, like she did with Troy on her first day. Jason would be easy to fool but Kelsi, who she has known since third grade, would recognize her immediately.

A soft knock against the wooden door accompanied by the painfully familiar voice startles her. "Hey, are you okay? Troy asked if I could come check on you."

"Be right out," she manages to say. The door seems to be miles away instead of a feet. With one shaky hands, she turns the lock of the door and turns the handle with the other. Standing in front of her is her best friend, who she hasn't seen or talked to in months and incidentally should hate her. Her head is pointed down as she rummages through her purse, her auburn hair falling over her face.

"I have some Tylenol if you need some," she say at last, lifting her head and offering the small white bottle to the brunette in front of her. "My best friend use to take them..." She trails of as her green eyes land on the familiar face. Pushing her glasses up and onto the bridge of her nose, she blinks twice.

Just as Gabriella begins to speak, Kelsi throws her arms around her and her tightly. "Ella, I can't believe you're here!" she exclaims, pulling back slightly to give her a once over. "Wow! You look so different but still effortlessly pretty nonetheless."

"T-Thanks," she says, taken aback by her friend's happiness.

_Why is she being so nice? I'm the crappiest best friend ever!_

But she knew the reason. Kelsi Neilson was never one to hold a grudge. She remained genuinely sweet to even the nastiest people that lurked the halls of West High. She had often teased her dear friend for being _too_ nice. Now was no exception. After the weeks of avoiding her calls, Gabriella knew that she didn't deserve it. And pretending that everything was normal didn't make her feel any better. It made her feel worst.

"You look thinner or maybe it's just your boyfriend's jacket dwarfing you. He is your boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah," she says, nodding slightly and taking a step back. "This is so messed up. I've been the world's shittiest friend so please, please don't be nice to me. Yell at me! Slap me! Anything!"

"El-"

"No! Don't talk to me like that! All soft spoken! I really don't deserve it." Her voice quivers slightly by her latter sentence and before she realizes it, her eyes begin to water. "Fuck! Why does this keep happening to me?" she asks herself quietly as she wipes at her eyes.

Kelsi sighs and wraps her thin arms around herself. She straightens her back. "Okay, I'm pissed. My best friend, who is practically a sister to me, gets into a fatal crash and I have to hear about it through her brother-in -law. You ignore my calls but stupid me keeps calling anyway. And now, after all this time, I finally see you and it seems to be that you wrote me out of your life. God, you're su-"

"Brie? You alright?" Troy says as he approaches, concern lacing his every syllable. "Do you-"

"Not now," Gabriella snaps with a quick glance at her boyfriend. She returns her focus to Kelsi, who looks equally as frustrated as she feel inside. "I'm what?" she challenges. "What am I?"

"You're such a selfish bitch," she says at last with a slight glare in her glossy eyes. "Maria was a second mother to me and you couldn't pick up the damn phone. I know you were hurting, but I was too. I cried for a week when I found out. I wanted to get in touch with you and let you know that I was there for you but you shut me out. So in one day, I lost two of the most important people in my life. I really want to hate you right but all I can think about is that my best friend is finally here."

Gabriella is stunned by Kelsi's words and even more by her friend furiously wiping away her tears. She doesn't know what to say or how to calm her best friend. Not knowing what else to do, she steps forward and wraps her arms around her friend, mumbling her apologizes over and over again.

"I'm sorry," she says when her tears subsided. "You know how emotional I can be."

"Yeah I remember," Gabriella says, matching the small smile on her friend's face for the slightest second. "But I should be the one sorry. There wasn't a lot going on and I wasn't acting like the Gabriella you know." She's surprised by how easily the truth flowed out of her mouth.

_I never could lie to Kelsi._

"It's understandable, Ella," the auburn haired girl says. There's a glint in her eyes that indicates she knows that there's something more that her friend has yet to say. She pushes the thought to the back of her mind. "And of course I forgive you. When have I ever not? Jeez, I'll even forgive you for wearing that hideous Wildcat jacket."

"Hey! That's my boyfriend's jacket that you're talking about!"

"Which would be me," Troy says, drawing the attention of the two giggling girls to him. "Now, would you mind telling said boyfriend what the hell just happened?"

"Troy," Gabriella begins sweetly, "meet Kelsi: my best friend since we were in grade school and ex- co-captain of my dance team."

Kelsi nods at him curtly before returning her attention to her best friend. "Speaking of dance team, we're such a mess without you!"

_I missed this._ Gabriella thinks as she smiles at her friend as she talks animately about the latest happenings of her former life. It amazes her how much everything has changed since she left.

"Hey babe," Jason calls as he approaches the small group, "our food's ready and the guys just called to ask where we were. Wait a minute. You look familiar."

"It's Ella, Jase."

"No fucking way! Ella, you're dating a Wildcat and you are one? Holy shit! Eric is gonna flip!"

"Who's Eric?" Troy asks as his eyes shooting over at his girlfriend, who's looking anywhere but at him.

"You know him, Bolton," Jason says with a smirk, "My stepbrother Eric Miller a.k.a. the captain that led the Knights to victory last year and Ella's ex."

Gabriella squirms under her boyfriend's stare. He's judging her right now and she knows it. She almost wants to laugh because of all things that happened today, this is what she's most worried about.

"Well then, we're gonna go," Kelsi says quickly, sensing the awkwardness her boyfriend created. She glares at her oblivious boyfriend as she pulls her best friend it a quick hug. "It was so good to see you. We should definitely talk again."

Gabriella nods and smiles softly at her friend's hopeful tone. "I'll call you," she says, earning another hug.

"I'll be looking forward to it," she says before releasing her friend and walking over to Jason. "Nice to meet you Troy and take care of our Ella."

"Next time I see your face, Bolton, it'll be at the Championship Game. And Ella? I'll be sure to tell Eric you said hi," Jason says with a smirk. Kelsi smacks him in the chest, causing the smirk on his face to disappear, before pulling him away from the circle they formed and smiling apologetically at her best friend.

Troy turns to the brunette beside him, quirking an eyebrow. "So, you dated Eric?"

_He doesn't look mad, does he? I hate when I can't read his expressions!_

"I'm going to check on our food," he says when she doesn't respond.

Gabriella slowly follows his retreating figure, running through the whole situation in her mind. Collapsing into the chair her boyfriend previously occupied, she lets out a groan of frustration. She had just ran into her estranged best friend but now she's worrying about whether or not her boyfriend was mad. How does that make any sense? Then it hits her: she really values what he thinks about her. It scares her that he has become such an important part in her life.

"So," Troy prompts as he appears, offering the plate containing their sugary goods and sitting down, "if you were dating Eric, that means you were at the Wildcats versus Knights final game, right?"

"I was at the game but I wasn't there because I was dating Eric. I didn't really care for the game but Kelsi was cheering on Jason and needed me to go to the party afterwards with her. That's where I met Eric." She eyes him as he simply nods in response and takes a bite out of one of the cookies. "Are you mad?" she asks, nervously glancing up at him through her thick lashes.

"What? Why would I be mad?" he asks, lifting his head and allowing for blue to meet brown.

"I don't know but as soon as Jason brought up Eric, your demeanor kind of flipped."

"I was just surprised. Jason and Eric are arrogant asses on the court. No offense."

"None taken," she says, picking up a cookie of her own. "Is that all?"

He finishes his cookie and brushes the crumbs off of his hands. In a gentle voice he asks, "Do you think that if we met before like at a basketball game or at one of the girls' dance competition that Chad dragged me to, things would be different? Not just 'us' but like everything?"

_Oh yes._ She thinks, her mind instantly drifting back to her last conversation with her mother. She would of never had that particular conversation and maybe, just maybe, she would of seen the oncoming car. She sighs, picking at the layers that made up the baklava dessert. "It doesn't matter _if_ it would. We could come up with a million scenarios but at the end of the day, she's still gone."

"Just like cutting," he quips.

Sighing, she picks up the fork sitting at the edge of the plate and spears a piece of the baklava. "Here, try some," she says, holding the sticky desert towards him. She didn't want to fight with him or else he would really be mad.

Troy shoots her incredulous look.

_Yes, this is how I chose to respond. _She thinks as he brings it closer to his lips. Despite the annoyance written all over his face, she smiles in satisfaction as he opens his mouth and accepts the dessert.

"That was really good," he says after he swallows. He says it rather unenthusiastically and he doesn't even bother with a forced smile.

Gabriella knows that he's still thinking about the way he deflected."Will you humor me and not bring that up now?" she asks finally. " A lot has happened over the past hour and you bringing that topic up isn't making anything easier. It's been 11 days, but that's only because I got myself to _stop_ thinking about it."

"Sorry, I didn't think about it that way," he says, taking the fork from her hand and spearing another piece of the layered desert. "Here. Except this as a peace offering."

She leans forward to accept the desert in her mouth and she returns his smile. She knows that there's probably more on his mind but she's thankful that he respects her wishes.

"So what exactly am I eating?"

"It's a phyllo pastry dough filled with chopped nuts and soaked in honey. Anyway, why does it even matter? It tastes good, right?"

"It doesn't really matter, I guess. But it never hurts to know what you're eating. Did I ever tell you about Dave?"

"No, his name doesn't ring a bell."

"When I was little, there was a duck named Dave on my great uncle's farm. He was like my best friend because there wasn't any other kids on the farm whenever we went up to visit. One summer, when I was nine, Dave was there in the morning when we pulled up to the house. Dave and I played for a bit but then I had to leave and go somewhere with my mom. After we got back, I couldn't find Dave and when I went into the kitchen to ask my great aunt just gave some meat to try."

Gabriella gasps, searching his face for any signs that this was just a lie. "Don't tell me that the meat was Dave!"

He fights a smile and says, "Okay I won't but let's just say that I never befriend another animal on the farm. "

"Oh my gosh! That's terrible!" she says but she also can't wipe the smile off of her face.

He nods, feeding her another bite of the baklava before serving himself. "I like this place," he declares after he swallows. "All that it's missing is chocolate milkshakes."

"Yuck!" she exclaims, her face twisting into discuss.

"You have the cutest facial expressions," he mutters just before leaning forward to kiss her. A stream of giggles slip her lips, especially when he reaches for her waist. "Why are you so far away again?"

Rolling her eyes in mock annoyance, she gets up from her chair and moves onto his lap. "Better?"

"Much," he says, with a grin as he wraps his arms around her.

They continue eating their dessert in a comfortable silence, sharing stolen kisses from time. At last, Gabriella finally feels at ease. All of the tension from this morning had melted away and the awkwardness from her earlier encounter was long forgotten.

"Last bite," Troy says as he spears the final piece of the sweet treat and brings towards her lips.

"I don't want it."

"Yes you do. This last piece tastes better than the rest."

"How does that even make sense? This piece was made exactly at the same time as the rest of the baklava."

"This piece tastes better. I just know it."

"It's exactly the same."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Fine, I'll eat it."

"See? Wasn't that the absolute best piece?"

"Nope, it tasted just like any other piece," Gabriella says after she swallow, causing him to frown. She shakes her head in disbelief and kisses him on the cheek. "You're so weird."

"So you say but you're still with me anyway."

"I know, I must be crazy," she confesses as she keeps her hands busy by sweeping the crumbs off of the table.

"We're a perfect match then," he says as he leans forward to kiss her jaw. "So, we took the longest time possible to eat two cookies and a piece of baklava the size of your palm. What else is there to do around here to past time?"

Gabriella shakes her head, shifting a bit in his lap to look at him a bit more directly. "It isn't necessary," she begins softly, "Seeing Kelsi and Jason kind of opened my eyes. I have been selfish and basically just living in my own bubble these past months. Everyone was able to move forward with their lives, except me."

"Brie, you're point of view of the whole thing was a bit different from others."

"Yeah, I know that the circumstances are different and whatnot but I honestly haven't made an effort. And the only way I can do that is by actually following through with this. I think I'm ready now."

Troy nods and squeezes her thigh. "Okay, let's do this then."

* * *

**A/N**: My best friend will attest to the fact that this chapter made me want to ram my head into wall. Something about it was just so frustrating to write. I had bits and pieces of everything and it just wasn't coming together. But all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. How did _you_ like it?

After this chapter, there was suppose to be three chapters left, but I ended up splitting up this chapter so there are four left. Just felt like letting you guys know... Can't believe this is just about done. Eek!

Thanks for reading and please review!

Kae xx


	20. Shattered

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban and Looking for Alaska by John Green.

**A/N:** This chapter has a special dedication to my very good friend Felicity (_**DuHSPaZZiNGFeL**_). She's done so much, like introducing me to FanFic and my love writing, but as of late she wrote a poem that fitted so perfectly into this story and she helped me create a playlist of some of the saddest songs to take me off my high from ZV at the Charlie St, Cloud premiere and all the excitement of seeing Sucker Punch at ComicCon. Without her, you seriously wouldn't be reading this.

Anywho, as usual, a quick shout out to all of the lovely reviewers of the last chapter: _**Ash207, zanessa14,**_ _**anoddapple, zan lil, Lia, Love is 130, xZanessaFreakx, Bridget1297, DuHSPaZZiNGFeL, kellyharper, sillymeggo, Tayweezy, OlympicBeliever., pumpkinking5, xMexWithoutxYoux, **_and_** MissIndependentlyPerfect**_. Thank you again! After writing this chapter, your reviews really made me smile.

Now, go enjoy this extra long chapter! XD

**to **_**Lia**_**: **Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter and all of the progress she made. It was nice writing them as a relatively normal couple. =) You're so sweet! It's so nice to hear that you really are loving this story. Thank you for reviewing! Enjoy!

**to **_**Tayweezy**_**:** haha..I can always count on you to guilt trip me for not updating in like forever. But I'm glad that you enjoyed the story nonetheless. Thank you for the continual support, despite my series lag in updates! Hope you like this chapter, it'll hopefully makeup for my absence.

* * *

_Is this normal?_ Gabriella asks herself as she takes a step into the house she's been avoiding. She didn't know what to expect when she finally unlocked the front door and stepped in. A part of her had thought that she would breakdown crying but she doesn't. She just stands in the foyer with Troy, her mother's office and bedroom to her left and the dust-covered living room to the right.

"This was such a stupid idea," she mutters as she surveys the unearthly quiet house. It just feels empty and that's what scares her the most. That numbing, bottomless feeling of _not _feeling anything tangible. "I just want to find that stupid crib and go. Maybe I'll even grab some of my old stuff so I don't have to come back here."

"Sure, whatever you want. Looks like someone already got a head start."

"Huh?"

"Brie, there are boxes stacked up against the wall," Troy says gently, turning her to the right to face the living room. "I'm guessing the writing on the side of each of them means that they contain kitchenware and medical-related reading material respectively."

Her body freezes as she instantly recognizes the messy scrawl reading KITCHEN and MEDIAL JOURNALS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS to be Adam's. When did they find time to do that? Her eyebrows furrow as she can't remember a single time they mentioned coming down here. Then again, why would they even tell her?

Wordlessly she leaves him behind, walking right past the several boxes and rounding the familiar corner. She finds herself standing in the kitchen and having a perfect view of the adjoining family room. The kitchen counters are free from the plethora of appliances and nicknacks it once held. The entertainment stand in the family room suddenly seems so big now that the majority of family photos were gone and all that left was the plasma television.

She now understands why it feels so empty. This is the house she and her sister grew up in. She had her first kiss on the front steps with a boy named Zac. She stayed up with her friends while making molten lava cake at two in the morning in this very kitchen. But it's not her home anymore. Home was when her mother danced while making any kind of meal and sang along to the iPod she barely knew how to use when she vacuumed.

No, she wasn't going to cry. She promised herself on the drive back from the cafe that she wouldn't cry. Jumping slightly when Troy squeezes her hand, she blinks back her tears. Clearing her throat, she says, "I think the crib is over here." She leads him through the empty kitchen and around the side of the couch to cross the family room. She releases his hand and slides the wooden panel to reveal a small hallway containing two more doors. "This is our guest quarters that we never really used so it became storage space."

"This house is huge."

She simply nods as she opens one of the doors to reveal a very cluttered room. Boxes piled up in the corners and clothes were folded in stacks on the king-sized bed.

"Shit, Brie. How much stuff do you need?"

"Hey! Half of this stuff isn't even mine, it's my mom's." Her voice quivers a bit at the end but she refuses to acknowledge it, even as she feels him slip behind her. "It's somewhere in here," she mutters as she moves out of his arms."You look over there and I'll check here."

"What does it look like?"

"It's a flat rectangular box that's like half my height," she says as she checks the closet. They continue to rummage through the room in silence, except for the occasional murmurs of profanity from Gabriella. "Did you find it, yet?" she asks after ten minutes of searching.

"Brie, you would know if I did."

"Oh, right."

"Maybe it's not even here. I mean, it's obvious that Adam and your sister have been here lately. What if it's in their garage already?"

"It's not. I heard them say that it was still here."

"Okay, we'll keep looking. Hey! I found some photos. Oh, look at baby Brie!"

"Ohmygosh, Troy! Put those back where you found them!"

"You look like a doll!"

"That's enough," Gabriella says with a frown as she tries to snatch the photo album from his hands. He merely grins at her attempts and raises the album over his head. "Are you seriously going to make me jump for it?" she asks, an arched eyebrow raised and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Maybe."

She rolls her eyes and takes a step forward, placing her hands on his shoulders and pressing her body against. A smirk crosses her face as she notes the confusion in her eyes. Leaning up, her lips hover just above his and she doesn't dare break eye contact. Just as their lips meet, she whispers, "No more kisses then."

Troy reaches out for her as she backs away from him with a smirk on her plump lips. His feet catches on one of the many items of strewn on the floor, causing him to stumble forward and effectively pining his girlfriend to the ground with a loud thump. Horror flashes over his features as he scrambles off of her.

"I'm fine," she coughs out as she lies still for a moment after having the wind knocked out of her.

"Are you sure? I'm so, so sorry Brie!"

"It's okay, Troy. I know it was an accident. Well, I at least think it was."

"It was!" he practically screams, as he bends down to pepper kisses on her face. "I'm sorry baby!"

A giggle slips from her lips as his breath tickles her cheek. She tries to push him away, her head moving from side to side as she squirms beneath him. "It's fine. I'm fine. Just stop," she says, trying to wipe the smile off of her face. She's looking over to her left when something catches her attention. "There it is!"

"What?" he asks, pulling back slightly.

"The crib, it's under the bed," she says, a huge smile painted on her face as she rolls onto her stomach and reaches for the cardboard. "Don't just sit there, Troy. Help me pull it out!"

"You're so demanding," he says in a teasing tone as he scoots her over and lays down beside her. They slide the box out together and she steps aside to allow him to stand the box up on it's side. "Are you sure this is it?"

"Pretty positive," she says with a smile, pointing at the picture of a wooden crib on the front of the box. "Can we bring it out to your truck now?"

"Sure," he says, going over to the back end of the box. "Help me drag it to the foyer and then we'll carry it from the front door to my truck."

Gabriella takes her position opposite of him and walking backward, guiding him back to the front door. As she helps Troy lift the box to his truck, she imagines the look on Genevieve's face when she sees it. At least her sister will be happy. All the emptiness she felt since she walked through the door will be worth it once her relationship with her sister is fixed. Maybe then she'll be able to comeback here and help with the packing.

"So, what now?" Troy asks as closes the back of truck and leans against it. "Do you still want to take some stuff with you?"

She nods, her eyes never leaving the sight of the house.

"I know you hate this question but I'm going to ask it anyway. Are you okay? You haven't really said much about being home."

"That's the thing," she says as she glance back at him over her shoulder. "It doesn't feel like home anymore. It's just a big, empty house. And this sounds so messed up because the cafe had a bigger impact than being back here."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Me too," she mutters as she turns back to face the house. "I want to grab some more long sleeves and jackets. Do you want to just wait out here? I'll be really quick."

"Do you really think I would come all this way and _not_ be there for you?"

"I told you I felt nothing. Maybe all those days of blocking everything out is making me do it without trying?"

"Possibly but I, for one, would feel better if I came," he says, linking their hands and bring the back of her hand to his lips. "Not that I don't have faith in you that you'll be fine."

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't," she says as she leads them back up the pathway to the house.

"Stop being so hard on yourself."

"Sorry, it's in my nature."

"Brie-"

"Do you want to do me a favor?" she prompts quickly, knowing that he was just about to scold her.

"What do you need?"

She ignores the tinge of annoyance in his voice and continues leading through the house. She leads him pass the kitchen and into a short corridor. Just a few steps more and they're standing at the foot of a stairwell. "There should be folded up boxes in the closet that room over there. Grab me a few? I'll be just be up the steps when you're down."

"Alright," Troy says, but makes no effort to move.

She rolls her eyes, releasing his hand and walking up a step so that she was slightly taller than him. Placing her hands on his shoulder as his own snake around her waist, she says, "I'll be fine."

"Sorry for hovering."

"It's fine," she says, matching his soft voice. She lifts a hand and brushes his bangs out of his brilliant eyes. "Thank you for coming here with me."

"Hey, what are boyfriend for," he says with his infamous grin.

She shakes her heads with an amused smile, leaning down press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Well, the good ones do what their girlfriends tell them to do," she says, pulling back.

"Okay, okay. I hear you loud an clear." He gives her a quick kiss before turning around and walking to the room at the end of the corridor.

Gabriella sighs as she turns around to face her own destination. She jogs up the familiar steps, just wanting to get this over and done with. She gingerly pushes open the door of her old bedroom and stands awkwardly in the doorway. The room, like the rest of the house, feels eerie. Every square inch of the room held a thin blanket of dust, something the late Maria Montez would of never permitted to happen. She takes small steps towards her dust covered vanity. Various containers of make-up were scattered around the cherrywood surface. She looks into the dust ridden mirror and studies her face. Through the mirror, she notices how her face looks so plain compared to the days she made an effort to conceal every imperfection, highlight her defined cheekbones and accentuate her almond shaped eyes.

"Brie?"

"Come on up," she calls as she trails her hands over the dusty makeup containers.

"I can't find any boxes," Troy announces as he steps into the room. He walks right up to her, carefully slipping his arms around her waist from behind and surveying the room. "So, I'm guessing that this is your bedroom."

She relaxes against his strong grip and meekly nods in response as she stares at him through his reflection in the mirror.

"Pink? Really?"

"It was Genevieve's room and I got it when she moved out. We never got around to painting over it."

"I see," he says as he unwraps one arm from her waist and picks up a lone mascara tube. "First of all, is that a cigar box? Secondly, is it overflowing with makeup?"

She gave him two quick nods as she bit on her bottom lip.

"Why?"

"Well, my grandfather gave my dad a box of cigars on his 21st birthday and when my dad passed away, I didn't have the heart to just through it away. So, I kind of just kept it."

"And the makeup?" he pressed as he tossed the mascara into the wooden cigar box and laid his chin on her shoulder.

Her face scrunched up and she turned her head slightly to look at him directly. "Do I really have to explain the purpose of makeup?"

"No, I just don't see why you need so much of it, or any at all."

"Maybe because sometimes I wanted to look pretty."

"That's bull. You look beautiful with it and just as beautiful without it," he says, making her blush. He lifts his head off of her shoulder and kisses her neck, right under her right ear. "I love it when you blush."

She can't stop the giggle that slips from her lips as she wiggles out of his grip and turns around, leaning against the cherrywood vanity with her arms crossed. "Okay, Mr. Suave. Flattery will get you nowhere and doesn't excuse you from finding those boxes."

He smirks at her and kisses her cheek. "Oh darn, you figured me out."

Rolling her eyes, she takes him by the hand and leads him back down the stairs. Reaching the bottom step, she glances in the direction that she had pointed earlier. "Are you sure there weren't any in the guest room?"

"Yeah, it's been cleaned up and organized."

She lets out a sigh as she looks in the opposite direction, straight at her mother's bedroom. She really had no intention of going in there today or any day for the that matter. Was it really worth it? And when she decides that it is, she tries to tell herself that it's just another room. It's only when she's reaching for the handle of the French doors that she remembers that Troy was walking silently besides her. "This is - was - my mom's room," she says, prolonging the moment of actually entering.

"I figured. Are you ready to go in there?"

"Yeah, it's just another room," she says more to herself than him as she turns the handle. As she pushes the door open and walks through the threshold, she come to the conclusion that she was right. The sight of her mother's king bed neatly made and all of her mother's nick knack scattered about, have no affect on her. She finds it somewhat disturbing that she could remain so unattached.

Silently, she leads him around the corner, the floor beneath them turning from carpet to tile as they enter the adjoining bathroom. They don't go in very deep, stopping in front of a wall to ceiling sliding door with a mirror surface. She releases his hand and slides the door open, stepping into the small closet. She trails her hands over several of the hanging blouses before sliding them aside to reach the folded boxes she knew were in the back.

"See," she says, turning around to him with the cardboard in hand, "we were making a big deal out of nothing."

"Brie, this is hardly nothing."

"I know that, okay?" she says a bit defensively. "But I don't really feel anything right now! If coming back here was suppose to give me closure, then that's definitely not happening."

"Even if you don't feel anything," he begins, unfazed by the hostility in her voice, "this is a big deal. You were so afraid that you would break but you're still standing, aren't you?"

She simply nods, knowing by the tone of his voice that there was so much more on his mind.

"And did you forget about all that crap you said in the cafe about moving on? Because in case you haven't noticed, your sister and brother-in-law have obviously been packing things up here. Now, instead of wondering what it would be like to come back, you can actually do something. I'm sure that they could use your help. Maybe it's not the closure you were looking for but it's something."

As usual, she knows that Troy's right but she keeps quiet, She lowers her gaze to the floor, not willing to give him the satisfaction of being right.

"Would it kill you to think a bit positive? Just-"

"I hate feeling this way," she blurts out. "It doesn't feel real or normal, for that matter."

"Brie, it's-"

"No," she says, shaking her head as her visions begins to blur. She doesn't want to start crying now because she knows that then she'll never be able to stop. "I can't talk about this anymore. Just drop it, please." Hearing the desperation in her voice, he doesn't say anymore. It takes her several moments for her to regain her composure and even then, she can't find the strength to look at him. "Let's just..." She trails, off a package at her feet capturing her attention. She bends down to pick up a rather large padded envelope with it's seal unbroken.

"What's that?"

"I'm not entirely sure but it's probably nothing," she says, her fingers itching at the seal. "Will you take the boxes up to my room? I'll be up there in a second."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You know, consid-"

"I'll be fine," she says, letting out an exasperated breath. Lifting her gaze, her expression softens as she catches sight of the concern written all over his features. "Yeah, I'll be right up," she says, moving closer to kiss the wary expression off of his face. She follows him out of the small closet with the envelope pressed to her chest, sliding the reflective door shut behind her.

"Are you-"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Troy sighs defeatedly, raising a hand to stroke her cheek before take a step closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I guess I'll be waiting in your room," he mutters, turning on the heels of his sneakers and walking out of the bedroom, but not before shooting her one more worried glance over his shoulder.

Gabriella waits until she hears the sound of his sneakers against the tile in the foyer before she positions herself on the floor, leaning against the wall across from the closet. Turning the envelope in her hands, she notes that it's from her great aunt in North Carolina and it's addressed to her mother. Without a moment of hesitation, she rips the seal and inverts the envelope over her lap, a notebook no bigger than that of an average novel falls into her lap.

The notebook felt rather heavy in her hand. Tapping a finger against it's spine, she realizes that this notebook wasn't made of typical cardboard but instead wood. She rotates the notebook in her hand to examine the cover. It's a beautiful cover, she must admit. Running her fingers over the multicolored sheet, she can feel the silky texture of the many layers of pastel. The artwork looks like something from a dream with its orange and purple skies acting as a backdrop to a castle surrounded by vibrant water. She traces over the the initials in the bottom left corner.

_Who is 'M.S.'?_

She timidly lifts the cover, not really expecting much of anything. Flipping through the cream colored pages, she quickly realizes that it is blank. She slams it shut and notices the sharp cursive on the back cover. She takes in the shape of the words against the white backing and realizes that it's a two stanza poem. Once again, she notes the same initials from the front cover.

Setting it down, she checks the padded envelop for something she missed. A folded sheet of paper slips out and into her lap. Carefully, she unfolds it and begins reading the unfamiliar handwriting.

_**Maria,**_

_**Do you remember when you came up here last year and were looking for that journal you made in high school?Well, surprise! I finally found it! Isn't that wonderful? Thankfully, it was in a box that had all of our old family photos so your drawing on it's front cover is still intact. I know that you wanted to give it to Gabriella for her 16th but since that already passed and it's still the Christmas season, maybe you could give it to her as a Christmas gift? Hopefully, she'll fill it up with one of those crazy stories in her heads and publish a best seller. She did inherit your writing genes after all. Please come visit me with the girls soon and maybe then you could show me how to use that video chat thing you were telling me about over the phone. Happy Holidays!**_

_**Love,  
Auntie Felicity**_

It takes her several moments for her to register the meaning of her estranged aunt's words but when it does, she finds it hard to breathe. In her lap is her late mother's journal. One that is as empty as she feels in this very moment.

_M.S. or Maria Santos: mom's maiden name! How stupid can I be?_

With the utmost reverence, she picks up the notebook and flips it over to read the poem she previously discarded.

_**Don't Forget**_

_**In the dark there is always a secret  
In the light there is always an answer  
But it is time that bears a truth  
And it is truth that bears the time  
For the shadows of the past there comes a soldier  
Riding bravely on a steady mane  
And soon a requiem plays as a paean  
An ode to despair as brilliant happinessConfusion as a silvery expanse  
Exhilaration toppled with blindness  
And there in, farther in it lays**_

_**A lock and a key together  
Only to unleash what was once a memory  
To twist and turn, but not in anguish  
The brave soldier remains  
The one to remember the unforgotten**_

Her breath catches in her throat at the final word echoes through her mind. Unforgotten. How ironic that her mother chose to pen this particular poem on to a notebook that would land into her possession? If ever there was time to cry, it would be now. But she doesn't.

Numbness takes over her body as the notebook slips from her finger tips. She reflexively brings her knees to her chest and hugging them close to her. Lifting her head, she's met with a striking reflection of herself. Never has she seen herself look so vulnerable and lost. She wishes that she contribute it to the fact that her boyfriend's jacket dwarfs her already small frame but she knows that isn't true. Briefly, she wonders if this is how she sometimes appears to Troy, The thought leaves her mind as she shifts her gaze to the notebook beside her. It's beautiful and unique and she positively despised it.

Gabriella hates this notebook for all the questions it raises. How did her mother stumble upon a wood based notebook? Was the poem on the back inspired by an important event? Why was it blank when time was obviously spent on the cover? What was she suppose to do with it now that it was her? Glancing up at her reflection, it screams at her the answer she doesn't want to hear: SHE'S NOT AROUND TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.

The truth pains her and she finds herself on the verge of a panic attack. The familiar feeling of her heart beating erratically, fingertips tingling and her palms feeling clammy. It physically huts for her to breath. She just wants it to end. For the weight in her chest to end.

_Focus on one thing,_ She thinks, her mind drifting back to Troy's advice on the stairwell. She stares straight ahead, into her dull brown eyes, but she hates seeing herself weak. Wanting the image to just disappear, she picks up the closest object - that vile notebook- and converts all of her frustration into energy as she chucks it straight ahead.

The smallest crack appears in front of her and a sadistic smile lands on her face. There's something about physically seeing herself as broken as she feels inside, that's calming. She picks up the notebook and moves closer to her reflection. Tucking her jean clad legs beneath her, she sits before the mirror and draws her arm back before driving the spine into it. She repeats the motion over and over again, the clinking of the random shards as they fall onto the tile becoming music to her ears. When a good portions of the mirror is smashed and she no longer has to look at the image of her a girl, who clearly does not have her life put together, she sits back with her knees pulled to her chest and admires her work. Though, the moment of pleasure from her handiwork passes quickly as she realizes that the mirror know held a strong resemblance to a cracked windshield.

_Can't I do one fucking thing right?_

The scene from that night begins to play in her head, complete with the faint sounds of the crunching of the metal frame and her mother's screams. It could be so simple: picking up a reflective shard and just ending it all. Her eyes drift shut as she imagines the bittersweet collision. Time seems nonexistent as she contemplates feeling the sharp edge against her skin. She tries and fails miserably at pushing the left sleeve of Troy's jacket to her elbow. Without a second thought, she shrugs off the heavy layer of clothing and casts it aside. She rests her arms on her bent legs, the marred skin of her forearm facing her, and just stares at it.

_What's one more? _She asks herself as she takes in the sight of the shades of reddish brown lines mixed with thin engravings. One slice stands out from the rest, one that's white and a bit thicker than the others. She knows that this one, much like the one she received when she was a little girl and scraped her knee badly, will never fade. She runs a finger over it, eyes drifting shut involuntarily as she remembers this first cut and the heartache she felt on her mother's birthday.

Her eyes snap open, immediately looking for that sharp edge. Before she knows it, she's cradling the glass in her hand and pressing its point to her skin, just below the white scar. But did she really want another reminder of one her lowest moments?

_No. _

_Just leave. _

_Now._

So she does, pushing herself off of the ground and walking away without a glance back. She thinks about nothing but the act of breathing. In through her nose and out through her mouth. Her steps feel heavy and the door seems farther away than she remembers. She feels no relief as she finally steps through the threshold and shuts her mother's door behind her.

The urge is still there as Gabriella makes her way across the house. She is desperate for a distraction of any kind. "Troy?" she calls out as she quickly climbs up her staircase. "Hey," she says soft as she walks through the door and captures Troy's attention.

"Hey yourself," he says, a smile evident on his thin lips. "I was starting to get worried. I thought that you might of gotten lost in this big old house of yours." His smile falters as his eyes lock onto hers. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," she says, cutting him off and forcing a smile onto her face.

"Bull shit," he snaps, moving closer to her. "Clearly something happened. I shouldn't of left you downstairs by yourself."

"Don't give yourself so much credit." The words leave her lips harder than intended and so she takes timid steps toward him, a regretful expression pained on her features. "Troy," she says, her voice noticeably softer than before, "don't beat yourself over it. I asked you to leave because it was something that I needed to do on my own. I know that you said that I didn't have to go through this alone but it's not really fair to you or myself that I depend on you so much."

"I don't mind," he says quickly.

_But I do._

"Aren't you the one that drilled it into me that I'm stronger than I think?" she prompts as she comes to a stop in front of, arms crossed over her chest as she glances up at him shyly through her thick lashes.

"Now who's using whom's words against them?" he asks, somewhat amused as he opens his arms up and allows her to step into his hold.

She snakes her arms around his waist, melting into his warmth and breathing in his signature scent. This, she knew, was safe. Here in his arms, nothing could harm her- not even herself.

"All things said set aside, are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just being back here that's making me like this," she says in a voice that she hope sounded normal. She's thankful that she doesn't have to look him in the eyes right now or else she knew that she would give in.

"Would you tell me if it gets too much?"

"Of course," she replies, not missing a beat. She knows that if she told him the truth, he would be just as comforting as his now. But was there really anything to tell? She found a notebook and had a panic attack. End of story. Although she knew that he would be proud of her, she wasn't exactly in a rush to tell him that mere moments ago, she had literally walked away from cutting. Leaning up, she presses a kiss to his jaw before pulling away.

Troy pulls her back to kiss her lightly on the lips before smiling down at her. "One more question: were you really a blonde at one point or was that a wig?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The picture on your mirror," he says, nudging her and pointing over at her vanity.

"Oh, that picture. I was sort of blonde. They were highlights but in that picture, I ran through my hair and it looked like I dyed everything. I think that was at the end of 8th grade."

"You dyed you're hair back then?"

She nods timidly at the incredulous look he shot her. "That's when my interested in hair and makeup started."

"And you started hiding your naturally beautiful self?"

Gabriella turns away, hopping her dark locks would obscure the sight of heat rising to her cheeks, "Not hiding. Improving."

"What mirror have you been looking at?" he asks, not noticing the way she flinches at his word choice. "Because I don't see anything that would need improvement. You're incredibly gorgeous just they way your are. And sexy too, Why didn't I notice this before?"

A small smile appears on her face as he runs his hands along the side of her black bustier top with an eyelet bodice. She at least pleased with herself that there was a physical attraction, as well as an emotional one. "Like what you see?" she teases, placing her hand underneath his chin and forcing him to look up. "My eyes are up here."

"I know and so are your lips," he says before leaning down to capture her lips in a series of sweet kisses. "For the record, I love what I see. I'm kind of glad that I'm the only one that sees you like this."

"Are we a bit possessive, Wildcat?"

"Yup, I don't like sharing," he mutters against her lips.

"Is something wrong?" she asks as she pulls away, keeping her arms hands linked at his nape.

"It's stupid, really. It's just that I couldn't help but notice that you still had some pictures of Eric up."

"I never really got a chance to take down some of his pictures because we broke up like a the day after Christmas."

"Christmas?" he echoes, to which she nods. "So when we first met, I was the rebound? That's why you kissed me?"

"Our break up was a mutual decision because we just couldn't make time for each other so I didn't need a rebound. And you made the first move, not me. Why are we even talking about him? Aren't exes one of those forbidden topics?"

"You're right. Just ignore me," he says, leaning in for a kiss.

"Wait a minute," she says, turning her head so that he was met with her cheek."You aren't jealous of Eric, are you?"

"I'm not," he says, the tone of his voice making her arch an eyebrow suspiciously. For once, she made him blush. "Okay, so maybe I am but not in the way you think. Back at the cafe, I started thinking about how there's a whole other side of you that I don't know. You never want to talk about it so, I never push it. But seeing you with your friends, hearing bits of your old life, and getting a visual tour of your milestones is really weird. It's almost like I don't know you at all."

"Cut yourself some slack, Troy. We've technically only known for two weeks," she argues with a small smile. "Besides, I don't really think it matter."

"And why is that?"

"Because no one knows me like you do," she mutters, leaning up to meet his smiling mouth. "I don't think anyone will."

**_

* * *

_**

"I think you're forgetting something."

"I am?" Gabriella asks, patting down her pocket for her cell phone before turning around to count the two boxes they had packed and the crib.

"Here's a hint: I normally can't do this," he says, leaning over to press a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"Your jacket," she squeaks. "How could I forget?"

"Hey, it's no bid deal. Where did you leave it? I can-"

"No," she says sharply, mentally slapping herself it leave her lips. Softening her face, she turns to him and offers him a small smile. "I mean, it's okay. I'll just go get it." Before he can protest, she props open her door and slides out. She scurries up the walkway, a bundle of nerves forming in her stomach as she enters the house once more.

Grudgingly, she pries open the familiar French door and crosses over the threshold. She moves quickly with intent of grabbing Troy's jacket and running. But when she catches sight of the shattered mirror, she can't seem to move. Looking at the scene now, it seems so childish. She's embarrassed that she even reacted that way. How will she ever explain it to Genevieve?

Gabriella snatches the jacket off of the ground, giving it a good shake in case glass shards decided to latch onto it. She stares at the notebook that started it all laying so innocently at the center of all the destruction, its colorful cover facing up at her. Despite her better judgment, she picks it up and folds it into the fabric of the jacket. She didn't know what she would do with it, but she knew that she'd regret not bringing it back to Genevieve's house. If one of her mother's last wishes were for her to have this, then she would honor it. After all, it was the least she could do.

When she gets back to the truck, she doesn't say anything. Gabriella simply rests her head against the glass, eyes drifting shut as she hugs the jacket to her. She probably should of told him about it now as she feels the corners of the notebook pressing through the boiled wool of the letterman jacket but she can't seem to find the words. For some inconceivable reason, she feels that this deserved to be kept a secret for a bit longer.

"It'll get easier," Troy promises as he pulls away from the curb, her things clattering in the bed of his truck.

"I hope so," she says in an almost inaudible voice.

"You just need a bit more time."

_Time._ She echoes in her mind. That's what her mother had been robbed of. Her mind begins to drift as they slip into a silence. At some point of the drive, she feels his hand close over her elbow, slide down the length of her arm, fingers ghosting over her marred skin and over her frail wrist until their hands are entwined. She smiles briefly when he squeezes her hand. It was his silent way of letting her know that he was still there for her, as if she needed that reminder.

"Do you believe in heaven?" Gabriella asks when they finally pull into the empty driveway belonging to her sister. Setting down the folded jacket on the other side of her, she turns to face him, only to be met with his blue eyes starring back at her.

"Thomas Edison's last words were: 'It's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful."

"What?"

"It's the closing lines of Looking of Alaska. You know, that John Green book I was telling you about? Anyway, they kind of struck a cord with me so I guess that why it's so easy for me to remember," Troy explains as he coaxes her closer to him. "I've never been a religious person so, no. I can't honestly say that I believe in heaven but like Pudge in the book, I hope they're happy wherever they are."

_They? Who's _they_? He can't mean the character that dies in the book...oh._

Sometimes she forgets that he has been where she is. Guilt washes over her for not remembering that he too has lost someone in an event just as tragic as her own. In some twisted way, she should consider herself lucky. At least she knew why her mother died. She can't imagine what it must feel like to have _that_ unanswered question hanging over your head.

"Hey, hey," he says softly as he reaches over to cup her cheek, "no need for tears."

"I'm just sad," she says, scolding herself silently at her childish response. She allows him to wipe away her tears as she leans into his touch, eyes drifting shut once again.

"That's expected but look on the bright side: you made it through today."

Through her tears, a bittersweet smile appears on her lips at his optimism. "I guess I have. Can you just hold me for a second?" she asks with a shaky breath.

He quickly wraps his arms around her, one going around her waist while the other cradled the back of her. "You don't even have to ask," he says as she buries her head into the crook of his neck. "I don't think I told you how proud I am of you. When I woke up that morning, I was actually feeling really guilty and nervous. I just kept thinking about how I felt when I was pushed to go back to my dad's house. I was so close to calling you up and apologizing about the whole thing. But I'm glad that I didn't. I'm so incredibly proud of you,"

Despite the fact that she feels as if she is completely falling apart, she struggles to concentrate on his words. But when they reach her ears, she takes them to heart. As she helplessly clings to him, she can't help but wonder one thing: if her mom could see her now, would she be proud?

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was really hard to write because it's so emotional. On top of that, I couldn't decide on an ending. I wrote two different ending before coming up with a whole new idea two days ago, which is what you see here. It was my favorite of the three possible endings. =) I told myself that I wouldn't let myself sleep until I finish this chapter and it is now just almost 7 am. So I really hope that this chapter was worth me staying up, listening to sad music for hours, shedding a few tears (which is not an easy task) and depriving myself of the Team Hudgens forum.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Kae xx


	21. Okay

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**A/N:** It's after midnight and I had two and a half hours of color guard practice today so I'm kind of tired and actually feel a bit sick at the moment. I apologize for not being able to reply to the reviews this time around. Just know that I really appreciate each and every one of them. Full explanation of why this chapter took so long on the bottom. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

This is dedicated to the lovely reviewers of the last chapter: _**writingnut2010,**_ _**sillymeggo, xZANESSA4LIFEx, kellyharper, Lia, EP, anoddapple, AerisTifaYuffie, Bridget1297, DuHSPaZZiNGFeL, xMexWithoutxYoux, MissIndependentlyPerfect, inkisexpen, pumpkinking5, zan lil,**_ and_** OlympicBeliever.**_. I'm really glad that you guys enjoyed the writing and everything of the last chapter! Hope you guys like this just as much!

* * *

_**April 30, 2010**_

Much to Gabriella's dismay, the days had passed rather quickly since visiting her old house. The books she brought with her were already shelved. The clothes were washed and hung up in her closet. Her cigar box of makeup was dusted off and placed on her vanity. She subtly displayed the few photos that she had the courage to bring back, mostly ones of her sister and her best friend. The infamous crib was still nestled in its box and hidden under her bed with the eccentric notebook beside it.

She'd like to blame an impending essay for not having the time to talk to her sister but that's not true. In fact, light conversation was frequent and on more than one occasion this week, she had come in early with Genevieve to help prepare the day's lesson. She just couldn't get herself to bring it up. How could she talk about their mother's passing without bringing up how she dealt with it? Was her sister ready to hear that truth?

"You're quiet today," Troy muses, jostling her out of her thoughts as he shuts his locker.

Gabriella inwardly curses herself for allowing her mind to drift back to that moment in her mother's bathroom. She just couldn't help but think about it whenever she was alone. It didn't freak her out or send her over the edge but she still obsessed about whether or not she made the right choice about walking away. Then she chastised herself for thinking twice about her decision.

"I've be meaning to ask, are you busy tonight?"

"Not really. Do you have a basketball game?"

"Nope. We have districts in a couple of days though. But anyway, do you think that you and your sister and Adam want to have dinner at my house?"

"Tonight?"

"I know that it's short notice but I was hoping prolonging it would increase the chances of it happening." His expression turns panicked when he catches sight of her arched eyebrow. "That's not what I meant," he explains hastily. "It's just that this has the potential of being really awkward. Not because you're there but because you're sister is."

She straightens up, pushing herself off the locker she was leaning against and folds her arm in front of her. "You're digging yourself into a hole," she says, her voice void of emotion.

Troy groans, cautiously placing his hands on either sides of his girlfriend's hips. "This isn't coming out right. What I mean is that having my old English teacher over for dinner is not exactly the most ideal situation for me."

"Do you hear yourself when you talk? Because you do realize that you're over at your old teacher's house like every other day, right?"

"Yeah but I never have to talk to her."

"If you're that uncomfortable with it, then you can tell your mom that we were busy tonight." She was far from being mad at him but she kept her tone indifferent. It was somewhat amusing to watch him squirm.

"No, I'm being stupid. Please come tonight, babe. All three of you. "

"It's fine. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own house," she says, removing his hands from her waist and walking away. Counting backwards from three in her head, she suppresses a laugh at her boyfriend's stunned expression. Before she gets to one, he comes to a stop in front of her, the panicked expression painted on his face quickly turning into a glare as he takes in her gorgeous smile.

"That was really mean," he mutters before turning away.

Gabriella rolls her eyes and chases after him. When she slips her arms around him from behind, he stops but makes no effort turn around. She rises onto the balls of her feet to place her chin on his shoulder and mumbles an apology in his ear before placing a sweet kiss on the skin just below it. Before she can even begin to comprehend how it happened, she finds herself pressed against Troy's front and his lips fused to hers.

"I guess I can forgive you," he mumbles against her lips.

She laughs and shakes her head as she slightly pushes him back. "You and your hormones," she teases as she slips her hand into his and practically pulls him down the hallway. "Give me a minute. I just need to go wash my hands," she says, nodding in the direction of the girl's bathroom.

"Alright, I'll wait here."

Gabriella watches as he leans agains a row of lockers on the opposite wall before walking into the bathroom and making beeline for one of the sinks. As she washes her hands, she can't help but notice that all the bathroom stalls were vacant except one. She doesn't give it another thought as she wipes her hands and stares at her reflection. She barely recognizes the girl starring back at her.

_It's the eyeliner and bronzer._

Deep down, she knew that wasn't completely true. Whether she was ready for it not, she could feel herself changing. It wasn't a conscious effort by any means, just little things she noticed herself doing. Whether it was helping out with dinner or cleaning up a bit around the house or even waking up a bit earlier to make herself up, these were the tasks that she didn't have the energy to do previously.

She reaches into her bag, pulling out a small makeup bag that contained everything she needed to touch up her face. Frowning, she fishes for her eyeliner with the intentions of evening out her liner. How did she go half the day with having one eyeliner thicker than the other? Maybe she wasn't a hundred precent together after all.

The occupied stall suddenly opens, nearly making the brunette to draw a crooked line on her closed eyelid. She freezes as she catches sight of a familiar blonde in the mirror. The girl doesn't seem to be aware of another presence as she keeps her head low and stares at her hands. Just like the first time she laid eyes on her, Gabriella found it hard to look away. There was something about Claire Smith that made her so intriguing.

"Staring's rude."

Gabriella blinks several times as she realizes that Claire had caught her starring through the mirror. She lowers her timidly and returns the eyeliner to her makeup bad. Letting out a deep breath, she adjust her bag on her shoulder before spinning around to come face to face with the blonde."I wasn't sta-" she begins but stops short when Claire arches an eyebrow, "okay, so maybe I was. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, I guess. I mean, I'm used to the starring and the whispering by now."

"But it doesn't make it right," she says quickly. "I'm-"

"Gabriella Montez. I know who you are. Everyone knows who Troy Bolton's girlfriend is." She rolls her blue eyes as she added an emphasis on 'everyone'.

Gabriella frowns and says, "I keep forgetting that gossip is what keeps this school running."

"So, I'm sure that you already know who I am. Hence the staring," Claire mutters, her thin fingers gently rubbing her thin wrist. "You know, not everything you heard about me is true."

She hears the tinge of sadness in her voice and she knows that their conversation will be anything but pleasant. She could walk away now, explaining nonchalantly that said boyfriend was waiting for her. But she seemed to be nailed to her spot as the blonde sizes her up.

"I'm not anorexic."

Claire's sudden admission catches her off guard but not nearly as much as what she actually admitted. "You're not?" She doesn't bother to hold back her surprise as she subconsciously gives the thin body a once over. All she sees is a girl in jeans and a light cotton long sleeve- just like her. Her eyebrows furrow as she tries to figure out why Sharpay had labeled her 'emo' when she most definitely wasn't.

"I know that's hard to believe with how I look and the fact that you caught me walking out a bathroom stall that was clearly not being used for its obvious intention."

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Gabriella says, shaking her head slightly. "But just so you know, you aren't the only one that has wandered off into the bathroom to hide out." She chose her words carefully, hoping to provide comfort in even the slightest way. Perhaps this was what she appeared to be by others in her days before Troy. Lonely.

"I know I don't," Claire says finally. "But here's the thing: since I came back to East High, you are the only person who hasn't looked at me like they're disgusted or like I'm some porcelain doll that's going to break at any moment.

So I'm going to be straight with you because when I tried to keep it a secret, it always held me back. It sometimes felt like I was living a double life because I was hiding a whole part of me. And this whole damn school thinks they know but they don't."

She nods slowly, deciding to take her new acquaintance's openness with arms spread out. "Okay, so what do you want me to know?"

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Why does the rumor that you're anorexic exist?"

"Because people only saw that I was dropping dress sizes, not the reason behind it."

"Which would be?" Gabriella prompts when she makes no indication of continuing.

"I'm sorry," she blurts out. "This was stupid and I'm probably going to scare you off anyway."

Before Claire has the chance to walk away, Gabriella blurts out, "I won't judge you." She offers a warm smile when the blonde turns to look at her. "I'm the last person on this earth that would judge you. We've all got our own stories. I'll tell you mine sometime."

Shuffling her feet, Claire looks down at her wrist as she pinches the thin rubber band resting there and pulls it a good two inches from her skin before releasing it. The rubber makes a smack sound as it hits her tender skin. She repeats the motion several times before finally looking up to meet the eyes of a patient Gabriella and speaking. "Are you sure that you want to hear this?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Right. So this is basically what happened. The reason I look anorexic is because I'd go for a run whenever I felt the urge to hurt myself. I was 13 when I started and I was trying to figure out who the hell I'm suppose to be. Am I the preppy cheerleader or the emo in the corner? Then there were my parents who wanted me to be the perfect, all-American girl. It's just so much to live up to and it's not like I could tell them that I couldn't be want they wanted. I barely remember how I started hurting myself but before I knew it, three months had turned into three years of harboring that secret."

"That's a long time," she muses.

"It is but I've heard stories about people who've been doing it for more than 10 years."

"Stories?"

"Yeah," she says with a slight nod. "Like on the web and stuff. Before I actually got help, I looked at all of these self-injury websites that talked about how to stop and help yourself. I tried but it's just so addicting. And it's like, how can something that makes you feel better be so bad for you?"

_I know what you mean. _

"But then I read testimonials of other people like me and I just felt so much. I didn't want to be that girl who has to put special foundation on her arms just so that she can wear her uniform at work and not have to spill her life's story to everyone she comes in contact with. So I decided that every time I wanted to hurt myself, I'd go for a run till I was too exhausted to do anything else but shower and sleep. For the most part, it helped. The funny thing is that self-injury isn't want sent me to hospital. It was dehydration from one of my runs. They saw my scars and before I could explain any of it, my parents had me sent to an out of state rehabilitation center to be someone else's problem."

Gabriella hears the bitterness in the last sentence and she can't help but think about her conversation with Chad and the rest of the gang the other day. They ridiculed her for assuming that she was anorexic when she was fighting a whole other addiction. She applauds the girl in front of her for facing all of the rumors at East High.

"So, yeah," Claire concludes. "That's my story. I have my good days and I have my bad days but I really just have to take life one step at a time. If my best friend still went here, it would be easier. But she isn't so I get to deal with all this shit by myself."

"What happened to your best friend?"

"Her mom her about what happened, or what they thought happened, and she had her transferred to a private school downtown. Mrs. Mills blames high school for apparently making me crazy. "

Gabriella simply nods sympathetically. It's hard not to feel compassion for Claire after hearing her story but what hurts her most of all is that she's seemingly alone. The thought of not having Kelsi there for her if she were in Claire's shoes sends chills done her back. Who knows and understands you better than your best friend?

"Thank you for hearing me out," Claire says with a small smile. "I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I could trust you."

"No problem and I'm glad that you feel that you can trust me. I'm a strong believer that we all need someone that can just listen," she says with a warm smile, her mind briefly drifting to a particular guy waiting for her in the hall.

"I appreciate that."

From the tone of her voice, Gabriella knows that she's sincere. She can't help but imagine if everyone knew her secret. After all this time and the progress they made, could her sister deal with the knowledge of her cutting? She wrings her hands and asks timidly, "Does it help having people know? Does it make it any easier?"

"Yes and no," she says after some thought and let's out a sigh as she searches for the right words. "Sometimes it feels like I'm constantly being watched, like everyone's waiting for me to fuck up again. Especially my parents. But it also feels a bit amazing. I felt like cutting was such a big part of me and I had to hide it for so long. So when I did come out, even if people don't know the whole truth, I didn't have to pretend that I was okay when I really wasn't."

Gabriella nods, finding the explanation to be completely reasonable. Her dark eyes sweep over Claire's thin from head to toe. She doesn't see the loner that first caught her attention in the cafeteria, but rather a fighter. She sees someone that hasn't had it easy but is still sanding here today. Could that be her someday? Blinking back some unwanted tears, she asks, "Did you ever figure out who you're suppose to be?"

"Yeah, me. If that's not good enough for my workaholic parents or this shallow school, then that sucks for them. Because I'm just me- scars and all."

"That's really great," she pauses, thinking about Troy once again. She feels bad for making him wait but she really doesn't want to stop talking to Claire. "What would you say to continuing this conversation, or perhaps one lighter, over lunch?"

"Gabriella, you don't have to eat lunch with me just because you feel sorry for me."

"I'm offended that you would even think that. You seem really nice and honestly, the only friends I have hear are because of Troy. It'd be a nice to have someone on my side, should we ever breakup."

Claire scoffs and shakes her head. "You two breakup? Is that even possible? From what I've heard, you're already knocked up and you're living with him," she says, eliciting a laugh from the brunette. "Rumor has it that the boy is whipped."

"I'm not really sure that I can deny that rumor," she says, feeling the heat rise to her face.

"So there is a bundle of joy on the way," she teases, making Gabriella blush deeper. "I'm looking forward to hearing the whole story at lunch. But first, I think you should fix your eyeliner. Your left eye looks a bit off."

Gabriella laughs, finally remembering what she had been doing before Claire walked out from one of the bathroom stalls. She whirls back around and tends to her makeup as Claire washes her hands in the sink beside. Gabriella looks at both of their reflections in the mirror.

_We're just like everyone else._

"Damn, Brie. That was the longest minute in history," Troy teases as she steps out of the bathroom. His eyes widen slightly when he catches sight of the blonde that walks out behind her. "Hey Claire," he's says in what he hopes is a normal tone. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We technically just met," Gabriella says as she approaches her boyfriend. She smiles at him warmly in hopes to assure him that he had nothing to worry about.

"I see," he says, his eyes still looking curiously at Claire, who has yet to do anything besides giving a small wave and smile.

Looking over his broad shoulder, Gabriella notices the one of a kind head of curls. "Hey Chad," she says with as much enthusiasm as she can muster. It wasn't that she didn't like Chad. After all, he is her boyfriend's best friend and for the most part, is really nice. But she couldn't look at him without thinking about what he said about self-injurers. She offers him a small smile before turning back to Troy. "Why do you look so nervous?"

Troy lifts a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "My girlfriend apparently befriended my ex-girlfriend. Who wouldn't be nervous?"

"We went out for three months," Claire says finally, her tone light, "and it was 8th grade. I don't think I'm harboring any of your deep, dark secrets."

He chuckles and smoothly slips his hand into his girlfriend's, who instantly gives him a comforting squeeze. "Yeah, but you might tell her how dorky I looked back then."

"He had a gap between his teeth and a mop for hair," Chad teases as he joins the group of three.

Gabriella feels her stomach churn as she watches Chad and Claire exchange a friendly. How could he be so friendly when he said such vile things about her. "Claire and I are going to eat lunch together," she announces as she sets her sights on Troy.

"Not to be rude, but I think Sharpay's waiting for you because she keeps rambling on about English class."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that I was going to go over that analysis with her before next period."

"Gabriella, you seem to already have plans for lunch so how about we do this another day?"

"No!"

"Sharpay isn't exactly my best friend so..."

"Well, maybe we can change that?"

"No, I don' think so," Claire says with a regretful shake of her head. "During my preppy phase during freshman year, I got the one spot on the cheerleading squad. I gave it up before the year was even over but by then, she was already committed to the dance team."

"I'm sure that Sharpay's over it by now."

Chad scoffs. "I don't know about that. Blondie was really crush-Ow! Dude, what'd ya elbow me for?"

"Just shut up, Chad," Troy says thru gritted teeth as he shoots his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend an apologetic look. "I'm sure that Shar's gotten over it by now."

Gabriella thinks about the disdain Sharpay presented when talking about Claire. If it annoyed her that Chad was acting all fake, it would be ten times worse if a certain blonde did it. She doesn't know if she'd be able to bite her tongue, should the moment present itself. She shakes her head softly and says, "No, I think that I should just apologize to Sharpay and tell her that I'll just explain it before class. It's not all that difficult anyway."

"Why don't you go do that while I stop by my locker. Just meet me in the quad," Claire says as she begins walking in the other direction. "But I'll understand if you decide not to come."

"No, no. I'll see you there," Gabriella says with a reassuring smile. She turns back to the two boys waiting for her. She sighs. "I guess I should go break the news to Sharpay now."

"As much as I'd love to watch Shar freakout," Troy begins as he inches away from her, "I need to go talk to Coach. That's why Chad came looking for us in the first place."

She simply nods and leans up to peck him on the lips. "I guess I'll see you in sixth then."

"Bye," he mutters against her lips, "and actually eat your lunch."

"You woke up a bit earlier than normal to make it, of course I'll eat it," she says, leaning up to kiss him sweetly on the lips. "I'll see you later, Troy." She watches him as he goes off in the opposite direction, glancing back every so often to smile at her before finally disappearing around the corner.

Chad coughs awkwardly as he begins to lead the way to the cafeteria. They walk in silence and every so often she'll feel Chad glance sideways at her. She doesn't mean to seem rude but she really just doesn't have anything to say to him.

"I'm sorry if I said anything at lunch the other day that may have upset you."

She stops mid-step at his sudden apology and turns to look at him. "It's fine, Chad. It just that I have some experience with cutting." She regrets her choice of words as soon as they leave her lips and she watches as Chad's face falls. They were by no means best friends, but the sight of him looking at her with so much concern, will forever be burned into her mind.

"Do you cut yourself?" he asks, his voice just slightly above a whisper.

Gabriella's heart breaks a bit when she hears his worried tone, completely forgetting about her prior annoyance with him. It takes her a moment to gather her thoughts but eventually, she forces a smile on her face and shakes her head softly. "I know someone who does," she offers, hoping that he would just leave it at that.

Chad looks relieved in an instant and returns her smile. "Good. I'm glad," he says then adds rather quickly, "I mean, I'm glad it isn't you."

She nods and sets their pace for walking towards the cafeteria. Replaying their brief conversation in her head, she can't but help wonder if he was worried that he offended her in her presence or if he was seriously worried about her. But then she remembers the look on his face, so distraught and serious. Perhaps if he heard Claire's real story, some guilt would wash over him.

But Gabriella knows that it isn't her story to tell and she can only hope that as her friendship with Claire blossoms, Chad would grow more openminded. She smiles a bit to herself at the chances of Claire literally walking into her life the same day Chad apologized for his crude words about self-injurers. Her smile widens as she thinks about how Troy had popped back into her life when she just may of needed him most.

_Life just has a funny way of working out and throwing people together._

_

* * *

_

**A/N:**True story: I said the last line to one of my guy friends tonight when we were talking about this coincidence that happened to him. Love how things work out sometimes. But anywho, I know that this chapter took awhile but things aren't going too well for my family right now and it's making it hard for me to focus on writing. I'm not looking for sympathy with what I'm about to say, just understanding. My little sister, who turned 10 last Thursday and couldn't eat her own cake because a breathing tube is down her throat, has been in the ICU for the past month, if not longer. I have bits and pieces of the next chapter and epilogue written but considering that my sister is really sick and seems to be getting worse, I can't promise you when I'll next update. Throw in the fact that school is starting Monday and I have other commitments and you get one big question mark. I know, it sucks for me too. Regardless, I hope you guys still stick around for theses final updates.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Much Love,

Kae xx

p.s. If you're religious in any sense, please pray for my sister. It wouldn't hurt to have a few more prayers.


	22. Strong

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban or The Perfect Cut by Julie Burtinshaw.

* * *

_**May 2, 2010**_

Gabriella hugs the oversized letterman jacket closer to her body as she clutches her cell phone in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

_I have officially lost it._

After several hours of starring up at the ceiling, Gabriella found herself climbing down her tree and wandering down the empty streets of the neighborhood. It was impulsive and she knew that Troy would give her hell for it, but she needed to get out or she would suffocate. She was so amped-up from what today would bring her.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she mutters as she comes to a stop in front of a house that she has grown rather familiar within the past couple of days. All of the windows were pitch black, not that she was surprised consider that the glow of her cell phone notified her that it was 4:38 AM. Flipping the flashlight on, she lets out a deep breath and walks along the side of the house. She struggles for a bit with the back gate but in no time, she's making a beeline for a tree, past the concrete basketball court and small garden. She scales the bark of the tree, her heart racing of the prospects of being caught by one of the residents of the house. But as soon as she is suspended over the still earth by the wooden floor of the treehouse, she feels safe.

_God, I love this treehouse. _She thinks as she leans against the pirate's wheel and looks over at her boyfriend's backdoor, where a soft glow illuminates his the room. She smiles as she vaguely remembers him saying that he was watching some television before sleeping. Turning around, she makes her way into the actual house part of the wooden structure. She turns on one of the lanterns and is instantly drawn to the infamous bin of books, where a book that had caught her eyes upon her first visit lays.

"The Perfect Cut," she recites the title aloud as she collapses onto some cushions before flipping it over to read the back, "He moved slowly, methodically, and when he could wait no longer, he ran the steel blade with unhurried precision across his taut stomach...the cutting didn't hurt. If only it did..."

The words sound - or rather, _feel_ - familiar. She knows that she's treading on dangerous waters but she thumbs through the thin pages anyway. She opens it to the last page of the last chapter and reads it before reading the beginning, a habit she picked up when she was younger. And just like that, she is pulled into the world of Bryan- a fictional character that like her, just wanted to feel better.

"Who's up there?"

Gabriella scrambles to a sitting position at the booming voice. She recognizes the voice immediately but that doesn't ease the knots forming in the pit of her stomach. "It's me," she manages to say as she nervously waits for Troy's figure to pop up.

"Brie?"

"Hi," she says quietly, fiddling with the pages of the book in her hand. "What are you doing here so early?"

He shoots her an amused smile. "I could ask you the same thing. But if you must know, I get up at 5:30 on Sunday morning to go for a run before cleaning up for church. I usually take my backdoor and I noticed that there was a light up here so I decided to check it out."

"Church? I thought you weren't a religious person."

"I'm not but that doesn't mean I won't go to 8:45 Mass with my mom to make her happy," he says as he takes tentative steps towards her and kneels in front of her. "Are you okay?" he asks, his playful tone doing a one-eighty.

"I know, I'm trespassing. It's just that I couldn't sleep and it was driving me crazy being in the house. So instead of lying on my bed and starring at the ceiling, I decided to get out. I somehow ended up in front of your house and figured that since I was already here, I might as well wait in your treehouse till you woke up. I thought about calling you first but since you had already called to say goodnight, I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry if this is weird for you. I just didn't know where else to go. Oh God. This was a huge mistake." Her words trip over each other as she sets The Perfect Cut down and pushes herself to a standing position.

Troy's hands clamp down on her shoulders, keeping her at eye level. A smile plays on his lips as he says, "I asked you one thing and you launched into a long ass explanation that doesn't answer my question at all. So I repeat: are you okay?"

She returns his smile, easing herself back to the ground and taking his hands into hers, entwining their fingers. "I'm a bit amped but besides that, I'm fine."

"Aahh..Nervous about today?"

"I'm giving my sister the gift our dead mother never got a chance to give her. Nervous doesn't even begin to cover how I feel right now. Maybe I should hold onto the crib for a bit longer?"

"But the other you day, you said that all this waiting was making you anxious. Besides, you'll be fine," he says, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "So, you couldn't sleep? How long have you been up here? "

"Since a quarter before five."

"I thought you said that you were going to sleep after we hung up."

"I tried!" she says in an exasperated tone, releasing his hands and collapsing back onto the cushions.

Troy moves to lay besides her, using his forearm to prop himself up on his side and carefully studying her face. "So, what have you been doing to pass the time up here?"

"I started reading The Perfect Cut," she mutters, her eyes drifting shut as she feels the back of his hand run down the side of her face. "I'm like a third into it."

"What do you think of it so far?"

"I honestly don't know _what_ to think about it. As soon as I read the first page, I felt nauseous. Maybe 'nauseous' isn't the right word but it was a bit unsettling to be able to empathize so much with it."

"All the more reason for you to read it. It could help you sort some stuff out or even inspire you in some way."

Gabriella falls silent. She knows what he's implying. He hopes that by reading about a fictional character that mirrors her emotions, she would be encouraged to give up cutting permanently. The memory of the previous weekend is still fresh in her mind and she remembers how difficult it was to literally walk away from the temptation. And she isn't too sure that she has it in her to do it a second time or even a third time for that matter. Even with Troy's support, does a world without cutting exist for her?

"Feel like sharing what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"What happens now that I've stopped cutting?" she whispers, slowly opening her eyes to see his concerned ones.

"What do you mean?"

"Do I pretend that none of it happened? That I never used to cut myself to keep my emotions in check? I mean, that would work if it weren't for my scars. Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but _how_ do you move on from this?"

"You get yourself into a new routine. One that helps you deal with whatever you're feeling in a positive way," he says without a second thought. "Actually, I have an idea. Why don't you come with me?"

"What?"

"Come with me on my run. You're wide awake and it'll help you release some endorphins."

"Some what?"

"Some endorphins. Brie, physiologically speaking, do you know why it makes you feel better when you cut?" he asks, causing her to shake her head from side to side and bite down on her bottom lip. "When you hurt yourself, endorphins are released and act as a natural pain killer. Ergo, you feel better. Running is another way to release those pain killers."

"And you know this because?"

"I told you that I read to understand," he says with a smug grin.

She shyly glances at her jeans and ballet flats and says, "I'm hardly dressed for it."

"I might have a pair of basketball shorts that would fit you and, with any luck, you're the same shoe size as my mom. If not, we could always pop by your sister's house so you can change. So, what do you say?"

"How about a rain check?" she suggests after a brief moment. Running before sunrise didn't sounds so appealing to her right now. Especially when she's been awake for more than 20 hours and would have to have a talk with her sister later in the day.

"Are you sure? A runner's high does the body good."

"Yeah, I'm sure," she says, her mind wandering for a bit about Claire's story. She clears her throat and smiles weakly at him. "Maybe next Sunday when all of this is over with."

"Okay, I'll hold you to that." Troy bends down, pressing a quick kiss to her plump lips. "Oh and about earlier, you're welcome here any time. I would hardly consider it as trespassing."

"I'll keep that in mind but I should probably go now," she says with a sad smile as she pushes herself off of the creaking floorboards. "Sleep would probably be a good idea if I want to articulate anything to Gen. Care to walk me back?"

Before the question fully leaves her lips, he rises to his feet and takes her hands in his. "Do you think that I'd let you walk alone at this hour? Hell, I can't believe you did it in the first place!"

"I'm in one piece, aren't I?" she says, pulling away and doing a quick spin for her.

He scoffs, crossing his arms across his strong chest. "This time around! There are some crazy people out and about at this hour."

"Like you?" she sneers, a smirk spreading on her face.

Laughing dryly at his girlfriend's snippiness, Troy glares playfully at her as he begins to walk away. "If I wasn't such a nice guy, I would make you walk home alone."

She would never admit it to the blue eyed boy in front of her, but she loves moments like this. Arguing about such minuscule things, even if it is just jokingly, made her feel better in someway. The feeling of numbness didn't exist in moments like this and she knew exactly how to handle her emotions. Her dark eyes naturally drift downward, catching sight of her hidden arms. She doesn't need to see them to know every detail of her wounds- the length, the width and deepness of each slice. Thinking about it now, she finds it ironic that something she used for control now dictated how she lived her life.

"Brie?" Troy calls from one of the many windows, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts.

Gabriella tries to smile as she makes her way to the mock wrap-around porch of the treehouse. "I just zoned out for a bit because of the lack of sleep," she lies, avoiding his gaze. She meets him by the pirate's wheel and kisses him swiftly on the lips. "Let's go. I can hear my bed calling for me."

"Wait a minute," he says, catching her wrist and making her turn back to him.

"Really, Troy. I'm fine."

"I think that's debatable but that's not why I stopped you. I just remembered that I have something for you. Close your eyes."

She complies to his directions and feels him slip something over her relaxed hand. Cracking her eyes open, she curiously glances down at her wrist. "A rubber band?"

"Yeah, you snap it if you feel the urge to uhmm..hurt yourself for any reason."

Out of curiosity, she pinches the red rubber band between her forefinger and thumb, stretching it a two inches away from her wrist before releasing it. She is surprised by the sharp pain the thin rubber caused as it slapped against the inside of her wrist. "Isn't this just as bad?"

"I guess it can be. Just don't keep snapping it to the point that you bruise or something. And if that doesn't work, there are other stuff you could try. Squeezing ice hard, chewing on ginger root or sticking your finger in ice cream for a minute. You obviously still think about hurting yourself and should you want to act on those thoughts, I just want you to have less abrasive options. Sorry if it's we-"

Gabriella is stunned by how much thought he put into this gesture. It's hard for her to form a proper sentence to thank him and so she leans up to cut him off with a chaste kiss.

"Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" he ask, his hands coming around to rest on her waist.

She shrugs her shoulders and trails her hands around the collar of his wife beater, not daring to look him in the eyes. "I don't know. Just for caring."

"Always, babe," Troy says with a grin before swooping down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. "C'mon let's get you home." Placing a hand on her lower back, he guides her to the ladder of the tree house before descending down it. He helps her as she she reaches the last step and smiles as they begin their walk in a comfortable silence.

"Gen wants to have your parents over for dinner next week," Gabriella says quietly as they reach her street.

"Really?" Troy says in an amused tone, looking down at her slightly with an eyebrow arched in interest.

"Really," she says with a smile and slight nod. "I guess Friday night's dinner wasn't a disaster after all."

"The majority of the dinner was spent in silence. I'd say that is the very definition of a disaster. The only ones that talked a lot was Adam and Coach. And that was only because they both have a love for the Lakers."

"True but apparently Gen and your mom really hit it off when they were doing the dishes."

"I guess that's a good thing then, huh?"

"Yup, it is a pretty good thing."

"You were pretty quiet that night."

"I told you that I just had a lot of things on my mind that day. Talking to Claire got me thinking about a bunch of different things."

"If I wasn't such a kind and patient boyfriend, I would pressure you into telling me. But since I'm so understanding, I won't make you talk about it anymore."

Gabriella rolls her eyes at his not-so-subtle attempt of a guilt trip. "Claire basically just told me her story. She told me about why she started cutting and how three months of doing it turned into three years. Obviously, that made me think about my own situation."

"What? She was doing it for three years and no one knew?"

"Only her best friend knew."

"And she didn't try to get her to stop?"

"I didn't ask but I'm sure that she did. Claire was really hurting inside. No best friend would let that happen for so long without doing something to help."

"Wow. Three years and no one around here really knew. Can you imagine what it must of felt like to walk around with these bottled up emotions for three years?"

"I honestly can't. Four months already feels like a lifetime to me."

"Does that meant that you're really ready to stop?"

She hears the hope etched into his voice and reflexively grips her wrist, playing with the thin elastic resting there. "I'm trying. Okay?" she says, her eyes locked on the cracked concrete before them. She hears him let out a deep breath as he drapes an arm around her shoulders and draws her closer to him.

Pressing a kiss to her head, he says ,"I know you are and I'm really proud of you. I just want you to feel better."

She simply nods, leaning almost against him completely as they continue their walk to in silence. When they come to a stop in front of the Montez-Moretti household, she mutters a promise of talking later and kisses him sweetly on the cheek. A profanity slips from her lips as she starts towards the dark perimeter of her sister's house and suddenly remembers the flashlight she had forgotten in the treehouse.

"Why are you going around the back?" Troy calls out not two seconds later, making her wince. "Isn't your sister's room near there?"

_I should of waited for him to leave. _She thinks as she slowly turns back around and towards him. "It is but I don't have my key," she says carefully, gauging his reaction.

"So how did you..Gabriella!"

"What?" she snaps, having the feeling that he was about to lecture her.

"Let me get this straight. Not only were you wandering the neighborhood at this ungodly hour but you also snuck down your tree?"

_Who gave him the right to get angry over this?_

She rolls her eyes and props a hand on her hip. "I don't get what the big deal is. You do it all the time!"

"But that's because I've been climbing trees since I was five! A fall from your tree could cause a bit more damage than some broken bones."

"Will you relax? I was a dancer for quite some time. Hand-eye coordination is a basic requirement."

"But you could of-"

"Enjoy your run, Troy. I'll call you later."

"Oh, no. Don't think you can-"

Gabriella cuts him off with a quick kiss and pivots away from him before he can get another word it. She takes quick steps, trying not to think about what critters are crawling beneath her feet. With her senses heightened, she becomes when she hears his steps behind her. "Why are you following?" she snaps, nearly crashing into him when she suddenly spins around. "I'm pretty sure that your course doesn't include running through my sister's backyard."

"I just want to make sure that you get back to your room safely."

"If I can climb down the tree, I think that I'm more than capable of climbing up it."

"Can you stop being stubborn for like two minutes?"

"Can _you_?" she fires back, placing her hand on her jutting out hip and raising a menacing eyebrow.

"Nope, that's why we're a good match."

"You're impossible," she mutters, rolling her eyes and walking away from him.

"That's part of my charm," Troy retorts, hot on her trail. He follows her through the dimly lit backyard and much to her dismay, up her tree and over her balcony's railing. "So, do you have a plan of attack for how you're going to bring up the crib?" he asks, as he casually strolls into her bedroom after her.

"I thought that you said you were leaving after you made sure that I got to my room safely. Considering that we're both standing in the middle of my room, I'd say that I got here without injuring myself."

"Brie, you should know by now that I'm not that easy to get rid of," he says with a grin that half annoyed and half made her melt. "Are you always this snippy when you're lacking sleep?"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she kneels on the floor at the foot of her bed and glances up at him over her shoulder. "If you're not going to leave, you might as well make yourself useful and help me."

"What are you up to now?" he prompts, coming to kneel beside her.

"Get the crib out from under the bed, please."

Troy lays onto his stomach to better reach for the crib that they had slid under there the week before. "What are you planning to do with it?"

"I'm not really sure, actually."

"Then why am I sliding it out if all I might end up doing is sliding it back under?" he asks while he pulls the eases the cardboard box out anyway.

"You're right. Just forget it. I think this whole no sleeping thing is get-"

"Hey, what's this?"

Gabriella's eyes widen as she catches sight of her mother's notebook in his calloused hands. "Oh, just a journal," she tries to say in her most nonchalant voice as tries to reach for it. She's afraid that he'll ask where she got it from and she almost certain that he would see through her lie.

"It's empty," he says, maneuvering it out of her grasp and flipping through it.

"I know, it's new."

"It's kind of cool. I mean, I honestly have never seen a notebook that looks like this. I like your little poem on the back."

"I didn't write that. Why would you think that?"

"It kind of looks like your handwriting. Not exactly but the F's look the same."

Stunned by the fact that he recognizes her handwriting and that he mistook her mother's handwriting as her, she stares at the neat loops called writing on the back cover. How could she forget that she had mimicked her mother's style of writing when she was younger?

"Hey, are you okay?" Troy asks tentatively as he notices her slight change in demeanor. He places the notebook at the foot of her bed and gives her his full attention.

"I'm fine," she says, avoiding his caring eyes. "I'm finally crashing, is all."

"Oh, okay. I should go then and let you rest."

She makes no protest, a sense of relief washing over as they silently stand and walk onto her balcony. As they reach the railing, they gravitate towards each other for a goodbye hug. She buries her head into the crook of his neck, allowing his natural cologne to calm her.

"Do you want me to stay till you fall asleep?" he whispers into her ear as he hugs her body close to his lean, muscular one.

"Nope, I've wasted enough of your running time."

"Any time spent with you is never a waste," he says, pressing a kiss atop her head.

"And the cheesy lines keep on coming," Gabriella says with a small smile. "I'll be okay, Troy. Enjoy your run."

"Will you call me when you wake up?" he asks, reaching up to tuck a curl behind her ear and cupping her cheek. When she leans into his touch, eyes drifting shut, and nods, he takes the opportunity to capture her lips in a sweet kiss.

She pulls away slowly, a smile playing on her lips and eyes drifting open. They exchange another a hug, neither wanting to let go. But when they do part, she becomes blatantly aware of the cool, night air. She waits till his feet are firmly planted on the ground before she retreats into her room and collapses onto her bed. She starts pulling at the sheets when a sudden thump catches her off guard.

_The notebook._ She thinks as she crawls over to the edge of her bed and stares down at the notorious item. She debates in her head whether or not she should just ignore it and kick it back under her bed. But despite her better judgment, she reaches for it. Flipping it to the back cover, she reads over her mother's in side of her stirs and before she even truly realizes it, she's sitting with her back pressed to her headboard with a pen in hand and the notebook open to the first page in front of her.

The words begin to flow freely as the pen touches the paper. She has forgotten how easy it was to lose herself in her writing. To know that within these words, she was free to say what she want. There were no set of rules for her to follow, just her raw feelings being poured onto the lined pages.

"You're still up?'

Gabriella feels her whole body tense as a soft voice shatters her thoughts. Her heart pounds wildly in her chest as she looks up to see Genevieve approaching her bedside. She forgets how to breathe as her eyes drift between her sister and the notebook in her lap.

"What are you writing?"

"No-"

It's too late. Genevieve has herself positioned on the edge of the bed so that the single bedside lamp illuminated the notebook's pages, revealing Gabriella's intimate thoughts.

_**I really did put up a fight.  
**__**The darkness consumed me,  
**__**In the midst of my confusion.  
**__**The wrong seemed like the right.**_

_**The metal instrument called.  
**__**"I'll make everything alright,"  
**__**It had promised over and over.  
**__**Like an idiot, I believed in the lie.**_

_**It felt foreign in my hand.  
**__**The metal was a shard of ice,  
**__**Cold and cruel against my skin,  
**__**An indifferent form for feeling.**_

_**Indubitably I let it run red.  
**__**A stinging sensation built up,  
**__**Then my forearm became numb.  
**__**Pain twisted into a bliss of relief.**_

_**Like a druggie I was addicted.  
**__**It never added up to be too much,  
**__**Nor did I ever feel a slice of regret.  
**__**The relief made the whole lot better.  
**___

_**Hypocritical and deceiving,  
**__**Is what the metal made me into.  
**__**Yes, the metal had kept its pledge.  
**__**But as a pitfall, a new me was born.**_

_**When it's all said and done,  
**__**Those times will never be lost.  
**__**Those days are now good as dead.  
**__**No more losing in times of stress.**_

_**In moments of weakness,  
**__**I can still hear it whispering.  
**__**I fought the urges because who  
**__**I am did not praise what I've done.**_

_**The wounds will heal,  
**__**The scars will disappear  
**__**And my heart will change.  
**__**For I've found who I am not.**_

_**Who I am hates who I was.**_

_**Reading it now, it seems so hypocritical in a sense. I mean, I guess it's true. There's a part of me that absolutely hates that my life has become dictated by this thin strip of metal. It feels like it's a constant battle to do my best to fight the need to cut. But sometimes, it's like there a part of that's afraid to stop cutting because I don't know what I'd be without it. I hate that it feels like my whole world feels like a lie.**_

_**I wish I was strong enough. I wish that I didn't feel this weak. That I had better control of my impulses and more importantly. my emotions. I wish it were easy as say, "Fuck this! I'm going to stop and be happy!"Because I hate when people - mainly, Troy - worry about me because then I feel like I'm a burden. He deserves so much better. And so does Gen and Adam. If only I was a better person.**_

Genevieve looks up, her eyes brimmed with tears. "You hid all of these feelings from me and Adam? On the contrary, Gabriella. You are so strong."

_I am strong._ Gabriella thinks as her sister pulls her into a warm embrace. She doesn't believe in those three words right away because never has she felt so vulnerable, than at this very moment. But it doesn't matter, her train of thoughts shifted course just a little bit. If her sister thought she was strong and if she kept saying she was strong, maybe, just maybe, she would actually start to believe in it. She wanted- No. She _needed_ to believe that she was strong. Because in the end, what you think of yourself is all that really matters.

_I am strong._

**

* * *

**

**A/N**: Hey, I know it's been entirely too long but I have a lot of things going in my life right now.

First of all, thank you to all of the sweet reviewers of the last chapter: _**xZANESSA4LIFEx, MissIndependentlyPerfect, Love is 130, yogaluva, itsi3 (Crystal), coolio1206, Ash207, xxZZBABEY18xx, xxLady_Of_The_Darknessxx, **_and _**Clembo 29**_. Your reviews kept me from completely abandoning this story and disappearing from the HSM fanfic world without a goodbye. I hope you guys liked the chapter!

Like last time, I'm not saying this to get pity but my little sister passed away just four days after my last update. She's been sick for 9 out of the 10 years she's been on this planet and there was only so much that her body could take. Because of that, this story became so much harder for me to write. Entwined has always been difficult to write because a lot of it is based on actual events and emotions that experienced or witnessed. The only fictional aspect are the idealistic Troy and that I never experienced a lost like Gabriella's. So you can imagine what was going through my mind when I experienced that lost in a different aspect. But thank you to all of those that stuck by this story!

This chapter went nothing like I originally planned. So, to sort of make up for it and my long absence, I'm asking you guys if there's a particular scene or situation you want to see in the epilogue. I can't promise I'll use all of your suggestions but I'll do my best to incorporate them.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Much Love,

Kae xx


	23. Control

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**Dedicated to**: _**1HSMWiLdCat, EP, yogaluva, xxZZBABEY18xx, pumpkinking5, xZANESSA4LIFEx, 19EightySix, Ash207, OlympicBeliever., coolio1206, MissIndependentlyPerfect, **_and_** xxLady_Of_The_Darknessxx**_. Thank you again for your sweet reviews! Hope you enjoy the chapter! =D

**to EP: **Thank you for your condolences. She suffered so much in her young life, it really was her time. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy the one below just as much. =)

* * *

**June 9, 2010**

"Fuck!"

Gabriella lays still in her bed, an arm strewn over her eyes to block out the light that suddenly fills her room. Her body groans in protest as she contorts her body for her morning stretch. She freezes as she hears shuffling in her room at this ungodly hour. It is only then that she realizes that her alarm wasn't what woke her on this particular morning. She's surprised by how close the sound was and for a minute, she thought she was just imagining it.

Her body shoots up in surprise as another loud crash resonates through her room. Looking for the noise that disrupted her sleep, her dark eyes dart around room. She sees nothing and so she collapses back into the softness of her bed. Just as she shuts her eyes, she senses the movement of another person, once again.

"Damn it!"

Now that she was wide awake, she recognizes the voice right away and rolls over to the edge of the bed. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asks her boyfriend, who was currently lying on his back and clutching his hand with shattered glass around him.

Another profanity slips from Troy's lips as he offers a sheepish smile at the figure hovering over him. "This really wasn't how I imagined waking you up," he mutters as he sits up. "Don't get up," he warns just as she swings her legs over the edge of the bed. "There's glass on the floor."

"I can see- Ohmygosh, is your hand is bleeding?" Gabriella cuts off her own thought as she catches sight of a crimson liquid dripping down his forearm.

"Oh, yeah," he says lamely as he glances nervously down at his hand. "It's nothing."

"You're bleeding," she repeats as she rolls onto the other side of her bed and shuffles through the drawer of her nightstand. "I would hardly call it 'nothing'," she says as she reappears on his side of the bed.

Troy rises from is spot from the floor and eyes her carefully as he sits beside her. "I see that you still kept that," he comments toward her makeup-less makeup bag.

"Well, you never know when this stuff comes in handy. Like now," she says with a slight smirk as she gently reaches for his hand. "Do I even want to know what happened?" she asks as she picks up a white package from the small bag.

"Not really. What's that?"

"Sterile Wipes: Saline Solution," she reads off the packaging. "This is so fucked up," she mutters as she pulls out one of the wipes. "Come here and let me see your cut," she deadpans and gently takes his hand. Examining it further, she notices that the cuts litter the bottom of his left palm. She holds the back of his hand securely as she runs the moist wipe over his hand, folding it over each time the white sheet became too tainted with the crimson blood.

He doesn't protest because quite frankly, he was afraid of setting his girlfriend off. He simply remains quiet as she tends to his hand with so much care. Once she's done with cleaning his hand, she she reaches for a large Band-Aid from her makeup bag on the bed between them. He watches as she rips the paper apart and removes the glossy backing from the sticky adhesive.

Gabriella smoothes the Band-Aid on his left palm and applies enough pressure to ensure that it stuck. She retrieves another sterile wipe to clean her hands of his blood. Before collapsing back onto her bed, she scoots over to the other side of the bed and gets up to discard all of the evidence from this morning's events in her trash bin. She drapes her arm over her eyes and let's out a deep breath.

"You interrupted a perfectly good dream," she says at last.

The bed squeaks under the shift of his weight and she can feel his breath against her cheek as he asks, "Was I in it?"

"No. That's why it was good." Not a second passed after those words left her lips before his fingers danced along her flat stomach. "Troy! Stop it!" she squeals between her laughs.

"Nu-uh! Not until you apologize."

"For what? Telling the truth?" she asks, making him work harder at ticking her. Gasping for breath, she does her best to stop his ministrations and mutters a sorry.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"I'm sorry!"

His hands freezes agains her stomach and he grins as he repositions himself so that he propped himself with one arm while the other rested comfortably on her waist. "Apology accepted," he says finally. "Now you owe me a kiss."

"After that little stunt you pulled, do you really expect me to k-"

In one swift motion, he bends down to capture her lips with his own and successfully stops her train of thought. She's surprised by his roughness, but she doesn't mind it in the her hands to his face and pressing her slender fingers into his cheeks, she kisses him back with as much force as she could muster. They break apart after several moments, their heavy breathing filling the air as their eyes lock on to one another.

"You know what I was thinking about when I was cleaning your hand?" she asks ever so quietly, her prior annoyance with him long forgotten.

"What?"

"That day you found about what I was doing to myself and I had to talk you out of telling my sister. Then, instead of walking away when you got a chance, you came back with me to the garden and cleaned up my hand."

"Funny, that's what it reminded me of too. I definitely felt a wave of deja-vu come over me."

"I don't think I ever thanked you for doing that."

"I'm sure you have. Multiple times. I think I actually owe you an apology for how I treated you,"

"Well, I wasn't very kind to you either so I'd say that we're even."

"As cliche as it sounds," Troy begins as he lifts the hand that rested on her hip to brush her out of her eyes, "I couldn't stand seeing you hurting. I wanted to do whatever I could to take that pain away."

"For what it's worth, you sticking around after that and even now, makes everything hurt less," she whispers as she tilts her head towards him and kisses him sensually.

The kiss begins slowly as they simply relish in the feel of their lips moving as one. His lips begin their descend to the column of her neck as her eyes drift shut and her hands bury themselves into his hair. Missing the warmth of his mouth, she pulls him back up to her and skillfully maneuvers them so that she laid on top. Unsatisfied with their position, he rolls them back onto her back as he shyly slips his hand underneath her top.

Her body involuntarily stiffens as his fingers caress her lower abdomen. She wonders if he can feel the thin scars on her marred skin. But the thought leaves her mind as quickly as it came as he returns his attention to her neck, making her moan as he bites down on the soft flesh. She knows that he's marking her but she doesn't this kind of mark. With her hands still gripping his hair, she encourages his ministrations.

"Are you okay in there? It sounds like you knocked something over."

_Fuck. _Gabriella thinks as her eyes snap open as her sister's voice grows louder. She looks at her boyfriend, whose eyes were as wide as saucers as he froze in her spot above her. "Get off," she whispers sharply, giving him a gentle shove and pushing him off, her hands immediately flying to her hair to tame the returned bed-head. "Hide!"

"Where?" he fires back as he snaps out of his trance and distances himself from her.

"Bathroom! Quick!"

Just as Troy crosses the room, the door swings open to reveal a very pregnant Genevieve Montez-Moretti. "Hey, are you...Troy?" Confusion fills her voice as her gaze shifts between the guilty looking teenagers.

"Morning," he squeaks, the blood immediately rushing to his face. He awkwardly coughs and mutters his greeting again in a more confident tone. "Are you as excited about the last day of school as I am?"

Genevieve merely arches a perfectly shaped brow as she crosses her arms over her rounded belly. "I didn't hear you come in," she says as she glares slightly at the boy smiling sheepishly at her.

Before her blushing boyfriend could open his mouth to stutter a response, Gabriella springs up from her spot to intercept her sister's glare. "Where's the broom and dust pan?"

"What?"

"That plate and cup I had from last night shattered."

"See, that's among the reason's why you should bring the dirty dishes back down stairs instead of letting them accumulate in here."

"I know, I know. I've learned my lesson," Gabriella say in a monotone voice as she inwardly rolls her eyes at her sister's comment. "The broom. Where is it?"

"In the pantry, where it always is."

"I'll get it!" Troy volunteers without missing a beat.

Genevieve steps aside to let him pass and immediately refocuses her attention on her little sister. "Gabriella," she begins in a stern voice, "did you forget about our little discussion?"

"How could I forget?" Gabriella mutters under her breath as she turns away, her mind drifting back to two weeks ago when she and Genevieve had a girl's day and talked about just about everything under the sun.

"_And Gabs?" Genevieve calls before she walks through the kitchen's threshold. The smaller brunette turns around, waiting patiently for her to continue. "No more visits from Troy that I don't know about. One baby in this house is going to be more than enough."_

_Gabriella gasps, her cheeks flushing from the insinuation. "I can't believe that you just said that," she says as she makes a face._

"_Just making sure that we're on the same page. You're forgetting that I work at a high school. I hear some of the stories that go around and I don't want you to be part of one."_

"_We're not...We haven't...We're nowhere near..Damn you!" When she gets her final words out, she's blushing furiously as she stomps her foot in frustration._

"_I love you too, dear sister," Genevieve says with a smirk as she pushes her chair away from the kitchen table._

"_Here, let me help," she says as she rushes to her sister's side, forgetting about her prior annoyance._

"_No, I can get up by myself." Before Genevieve even finishes her sentence, Gabriella's already gripping her elbow lightly to guide her to a standing position. "Thanks but it's when I'm about to pop that I'll need your help," she says as she grins down at her younger sister._

"_Wow. You make being pregnant sound so wonderful," Gabriella says, her voice dripping with sarcasm._

"_Which is why you and Troy are not allowed to be in this house, the old house, his house or any house unsupervised."_

"_Okay, I'm leaving now before this conversation gets any weirder."_

"_I'm just telling you this because I care."_

_Gabriella buries her reddened face into her sister's shoulder as Genevieve pulls her into a warm embrace. "I know you do. For some crazy reason, you care for me. Even when I don't deserve it."_

"_Don't be ridiculous! You're my baby sister. Of course I'm going to take care of you! Sweetheart, I hope that you know that you can come to me with absolutely anything and I'll help you in whatever way that I can. I've known you all of your life and I know how you act. You're probably one of the most impulsive people I know so just don't do anything stupid. And even if you do, - knock on wood - you're going to finish high school and go to college. No matter what. Do you understand me?"_

Yup, things are almost back to normal. _Gabriella thinks as she bites back a laugh. Of all things that her sister should be worrying about, Genevieve chooses to worry about her getting knocked up and not finish school._

"Gabs? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah," the petite brunette says nonchalantly as she ushers her sister out the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to start getting ready for school. I'd rather not get a tardy slip on my last day."

"Which is exactly what I said," Genevieve mutters as she closes Gabriella's door behind her. Not a minute later, she reopens the door with a big grin. "Besides the loud noise, there was actually another reason I came into the room."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you really think I would forget?"

"Forget what?"

"Happy seventeenth birthday!"

Gabriella stands in shock. In past years, birthdays have always been a big production in the Montez household but considering the events of this year, she had really hoped that her birthday would go unnoticed. Her eyes shift between her sister's smiling face and the small box in her hand.

"Go on. Take it."

"You really shouldn't of spent anything on me. You and Adam have already done so much for me," she says as she makes a grand gesture to her room.

"Believe me, I didn't spend a dime on it," Genevieve says as she takes her little sister's hand and places the small box in it.

With a great deal of care, she rips off the orange wrapping paper to reveal a black velvet jewelry box. Her heart speeds up a bit as she thinks about what could possibly be in it that her sister supposedly didn't waste her money on. Cracking it open, she nearly drops it in shock as her dark eyes land on the sight of the antique ring. "Oh Genevieve, I can't accept this."

"I want you to have it. All it's doing is collecting dust in my jewelry box because the only thing I can stand having on my fingers in my wedding ring."

"But mom gave you this-"

"On my seventeenth birthday," she finishes with as sad smile. "You know, she always said that she would give you her other ring like this when it was your seventeenth. One day, when you're ready Gabs, we'll go through her jewelry and find it. But for now, hang on to this one."

"I really don't know what to say."

"A thank you would be nice."

Gabriella looks up at her sister with tears threatening to fall from her chocolate brown eyes. Pulling her sister into a hug with her bulging belly was a difficult task, but it was well worth it. "Thank you," she says, her voice wavering slightly. She clears her throat as she pulls away. "I don't think I can ever thank you or Adam enough for everything that you've guys have done."

"Seriously Gabs, it was nothing. But speaking of Adam, he has his own surprise for you. How about we have dinner out tonight? That is, if Troy doesn't have anything planned out for you."

"Actually, he doesn't know it's my birthday and I kind of want to keep it that way."

"What? Why?"

"He might make a big deal out of it what not and complain about about why I didn't tell him earlier."

"Are you sure you don't want to tell him?"

Gabriella simply nods as she absentmindedly traces the edge of her new ring.

"Okay then. Well, I'm going to leave now, so I'll see you at school. Kick but on your final!" She adds the later as she closes the door behind herself.

"Bye Gen!" she calls through the door as she strips off her shirt and walks towards her closet. Gabriella looks down at the ring in the velvet box. It was a rather enchanting ring from the 1920s. From the side, it is a series of surfaces sculpted in filigree that included two small flowers. From above, it is a startling pool of light: a hexagon brimming with a brilliant cut diamond. But what truly made the ring special was that it had been her mother's favorite ring that her grandmother - the Montez sisters' great grandmother - had given her when she was younger. She carefully plucks it from the cushion and admires the way it fits perfectly on her right ring finger.

A tear slides down her cheek as she remembers sliding the ring off the ring from her mother's finger when she was younger and pretending that it fit her perfectly. She could hear her mother's laugh as she tosses the ring box aside and furiously wipes at her eyes. In attempts to distract herself, she refocuses her attention on her closet. Quickly, she spies a black tank top and pulls it on before shimming out of her pajama bottoms. She bends down to scoop her discarded clothes off of the floor and deposits them into the hamper in the corner. Humming to herself as she scurries around her room, she fails to hear the door open.

"Oh shit, Brie. Sorry!" Troy exclaims as he walks in, only to turn back around.

"It's okay, I'm almost finish," Gabriella says as she pulls her jean shorts up her hips. "Done! You can turn around."

"You look nice, but aren't you a bit out of dress code?"

"Yeah, I'm going to wear something over this of course," she explains as she saunters into the bathroom to do her morning routine. "There's no way in hell that I'm wearing that neon green shirt the school provides." Tying her mess of curls into a bun atop her head, she leans over the sink and splashes her face with the cold water. By the time she's done and patting her face dry, she spies Troy's reflection starring back at her. "Do you have to be such a creeper and watch me as I make myself up?"

"You look gorgeous already, what more is there for you to do?" he asks charmingly, effectively making her cheeks turn pink.

"Well, my hair is a mess and I look really pale."

"Gorgeous," he repeats as he stands behind her and wraps his arms around her tiny waist. "You're gorgeous," he mutters against her neck.

_If he keeps this up, I won't have to put on blush._ Gabriella thinks asshe lifts her eyes to stare at their reflection in the mirror. She watches as he continues to shower her neck with kisses while keeping her body close to his. She wiggles out of his grip, wrapping her hands on his wrist to free herself. "We're never going to get to school on time. Go make yourself useful and clean up the mess you made this morning."

Troy kisses her sweetly on the cheek once more before giving her a mock salute and literally marching out of the bathroom.

"You're so weird," she says whilst shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"Better than being boring," he says in a sing-song voice, popping his head back into the bathroom to grin at her.

"I said go," she scolds, giving him a little shove out of the room. She rolls her eyes as grabs her foundation off of her counter and finally looks at herself. It's another day and she still doesn't like what she sees in the mirror. Sighing, she begins applying her makeup to look presentable. The task seems nearly impossible but it's a necessary step to her day. Once again, she catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

_You're getting there. _

_You almost look normal._

She takes a moment to study her handiwork. She flashes a fake smile, a test run for the rest of her day. It doesn't quite reach her eyes, but it'll have to do. It doesn't matter how many weeks have passed since she last visited her childhood home, she still can't shake the feeling of guilt that ran through her from when she broke that mirror.

But then she catches sight of the red mark Troy made, which stood proudly against her pale skin. Now that made her really smile. Dropping her gaze, she lifts a hand to her hair and frees her locks from her messy bun. Grabbing a brush from besides the sink, she rids her hair from any tangles before dividing the top section of her hair to begin her French braid. As she blindly braids the back of her head, she catches sight of her scarred forearms in the mirror.

What she had once considered subtle reminders of reality, now made her sick in the stomach. Every time she saw them, she was reminded of her lowest points. She hated what they stood for and sometimes caught herself wondering why she didn't it in the first place. They numbed the pain if only for a moment but in exchange, tally marks of her pain were littered over her body.

"Hey Troy," she calls as she quickly finishes her braid, securing the end with a hair tie and walking into the room.

"Yeah babe?" he responds from his position on the bed, where he was fiddling with his phone.

"Open the bedside drawer to the right of you and toss me the tube that looks like a glue stick that's in there."

Tossing his phone aside, he rolls over so that he could better look into the drawer. "This?" he asks moments later, holding up the small cylinder for her to see. Tossing it to her after, he receives a nod, he watches curiously as she pops the cover off the tube and rolls the substance over the insides of her arms. "Why are you rubbing glue all over your arm?"

"I said that it looks like a glue stick, not that it is one."

"Then what is it?"

"Just this thing that's suppose to even out my skin tone," Gabriella says as nonchalantly as she tosses the tube onto the bed and walks over to her closet. She hopes that he'll take her hint and not pursue the subject any more. Finding her favorite plaid shirt, she pulls it off the hanger and slips her arms through the long sleeves. She vaguely here's him say something that sounds very much like he was reading the label of the scar management stick. The bed creaks, followed by the sound of his Converse against the laminate floor, but she refuses to turn around to look at him.

"I didn't know that your scars bothered you that much," he says rather quietly as he comes to a stop behind her.

"They don't," she lies as she adjusts the collar of her shirt before turning around. She musters up a sweet smile and links her hands behind his neck. "Did you grab breakfast before coming here?"

"Gabriella."

"What?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with what _I_ had said about your scars all those months ago, does it?" he asks as he gently lifts her chin with his finger so that she met his gaze. "I'm sorry for what I said back then. There was a lot of things that I didn't understand about what you did to yourself. In general, it was just a really jerky and insensitive reaction to have acted so repulsed. I'm just so sor-"

"I hate when you apologize," she says bluntly. "So please, just stop right there."

"Uhmm..okay?"

"Good. I got the scar management thing because I'm the one repulsed by the sight of my scars. I'm trying so hard to move on but it's so hard to do so when I see them and I'm reminded of my lowest points and all of those emotions come rushing back to me. It's just so hard to deal with sometimes."

Troy is quiet for quite some time and Gabriella fears that her admission was just a bit too honest for him. He looks at her with such admiration as he tucks a loose curl behind her ear and then cups the back of her neck to bring her forward to close the gap between their lips. "You're amazing."

"I think you're pretty amazing too," she says smiling as she leans up to kiss him once more. Seconds later, they pull a way with identical smiles.

"Is that my shirt?" he asks as he takes the collar of the plaid shirt between his fingers.

"No," she says all too quickly with a grin as she slips out of his grip and exits out into to the hallway. "Instant oatmeal or cereal for breakfast?"

"That's my favorite shirt," he says with an amused expression as he follows her out of her room.

Gabriella glances back at him over her shoulder with a cheeky grin. "Mine too."

* * *

"I don't understand why they just can't have midterms back to back so that we can get them done and get the fuck out of here," Sharpay complains as she picks at her salad.

"Because it would cost too much to change the bus schedule. The school isn't willing to waste money on that sort of thing just to make us happy."

Chad nods his head in agreement to Taylor's words as he hastily swallows the food in his mouth. "Not to mention some of us actually have midterms to take today. My brain would fry if I had to take my Pre-Calculus midterm and then my Photography one immediately after it."

"How hard can a Photography final be?" Sharpay says with a scoff.

"Do _**you**_ know who the most notorious photographer of the Dust Bowl is?" Chad fires back. "That's what I thought," he says smugly when she doesn't respond.

Gabriella nearly chokes on her celery stick as she laughs at the childish argument between her friends. She looks around at the familiar faces she's come to love. They may not have known what she's been through but they knew who she was now. They gave her a reason to be happy and in the end, that was really all she could ask for.

"My Physics exam made me want to cry," Claire announces as she slips into the empty seat between Gabriella and Ryan.

"Awe, I'm sure you did great," Taylor tells the blonde across from her as their other friends give encouraging nods and smiles.

The simple act makes Gabriella smile. The transition of Claire into their group was anything but easy. Sharpay at first had been sickly-sweet to Claire's face but would talk bad about her when she wasn't around. That was all it took for Gabriella to stop sitting at their lunch table. Troy, being the good boyfriend, followed his girlfriend. It wasn't long before the whole group gradually transferred to Claire's lunch table, Sharpay being the last to join. The two blondes had agreed to disagree and soon found out that they were actually pretty similar.

"I know what you mean," Sharpay says as she takes a sip from her bottled water. "I just can't wait for this day to be over and head over to that pool party tonight."

"Speaking of which, I need a new swimsuit," Claire says as she shyly steals a fry from Ryan's tray. "Girls, who's up for hitting the mall after school?"

"You can have them," Ryan says with a smiles as he pushes his half eaten carton of fries in front of the blonde beside him.

_I need to ask her what's going on between them._ Gabriella thinks as she catches their small exchange. She's sure that she isn't the only one that notices the flirty exchanges between the two blondes.

Sharpay's eyes light up at the mention of the mall but her expression quickly transforms into a pout. "I have dance class till five today. Besides, daddy cut off my cards till I get a job. All those stores will just be mocking me with things that I can't buy."

"And I have to go to work earlier today so that I have tonight off," Taylor says with an apologetic smile.

"So, Gabs, it looks like it's just you and me."

"Wait. What's happening tonight?" the brunette asks as she looks to her boyfriend for explanation.

"Oh, did I not mention it this morning?" Troy say's with a nervous chuckle as he takes a bite out of his peanut butter sandwich.

"Why do you always wait last minute to tell me about our plans?" Gabriella asks as she turns her body slightly to better look at him.

"Because I've learned that if I hold out and spring it on you, you're more likely to agree to me," he says with a boyish grin, causing her to smile in return.

"You two still make me sick with all your cuteness," Sharpay says bluntly.

"Someone's bitter," Claire says with a smirk as she pulls out her lunch.

"Oh hush, Smith. I am not."

"Sharpay, look at the bright side: Zeke will be home for tonight's party and you won't notice Troy and Gabriella's cuteness because you'll be too wrapped up in your own love life."

"I know. All the more reason for this day to pass faster."

"Okay, I'm lost. Besides Zeke coming home from his Future Chefs of America Program, what else is happening tonight?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot that this is the first year Gabs is with us," Chad says to one in particular.

"Yeah, it is. So would someone mind bringing me up to date?"

"There's this kid in our grade that has an end of the year pool party at his house every year," Taylor says as she looks up from her book. "It started in like middle school when he started throwing these parties. Now it's just a given that Christopher Daniels' house is the place to be at the end of the year."

"Sounds fun," Gabriella says with a forced smile.

"From what I remember, it is a ton of fun." Claire says with a big smile. "Does he still set up a bonfire?"

Gabriella drops her gaze to her half eaten salad as the chatter around her continues. While everyone around her was looking forward to tonight's party, a bundle of nerves had formed in the pit of her stomach. A pool party typically required a lot of skin to be shown. And for Gabriella, that really wasn't much of an option.

"Hey," Troy says quietly into her ear, "you okay?"

"Yeah, just nervous for our next midterm."

"Brie, we have Chem next and Ms. Jameson doesn't plan on giving us a final because of the AP Exam. Want to tell me what's really bothering you?"

She mentally curses herself as she replays her words in her head. Why did she say that of all things?

"We don't have to go tonight. We can order that nasty pineapple pizza you love and watch 'The Parent Trap' for all I care."

"What?" Sharpay squeaks from the other side of the table, capturing the attention of half the cafeteria. "Was I talking to you?"

"Damn, she's even bitchier without Zeke," Claire mutters to the rest of the table, causing them to snicker, "I didn't think that was possible."

"I heard that," the bottle-blonde snaps as she narrows her eyes at Claire.

"So?"

"It's a good thing that I like you."

"I know, I feel honored," she says, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

"Good. You should be," Sharpay says seriously, missing the way Claire playfully rolled her eyes as she refocused her attention on the petite brunette beside her. "Gabs, you _have_ to go tonight."

"She doesn't _have_ to do anything," Troy interrupts as he protectively places his arm around his girlfriend.

"But you worked so hard this past quarter! Don't you want to celebrate?"

"Gabs," Taylor says softly, "you know I'm not really into the party scene either but at least come out tonight. I promise, you'll have a ton of fun."

She squirms underneath attention. "I don't have a suit," she says at last.

"Which is exactly why you should go with me to the mall," Claire reasons. "Come on, Gabs. How's it going to look when the school's so-called introvert goes and you, who quickly became East High's sweetheart, doesn't go?"

"We really don't have to go," Troy whispers into her ear.

"If you don't go, none of us will go," Claire adds in a last attempt to lure her.

Gabriella looks between her boyfriend and the rest of friends and then lets out a sight. "Fine," she mutters at last, causing the girls to squeal in excitement.

"Guilt trip. Very nice strategy."

Claire laughs and reaches for a french fry. "Thank you," she tells the other blonde, "I thought it was the best choice too."

_Their like twins._ Gabriella thinks as she rolls her eyes andopens her paper bagged lunch and reaches into it to eat her daily apple, Pulling out the first thing her hand comes in contact with, she frowns slightly at the slightly rounded object that wasn't her normal golden and delicious apple. Taped onto a saran wrapped muffin was a note in her brother-in-law's messy scrawl.

_**Gabs,**_

_**I would of gave you a cupcake, but after seeing your sister eat a cupcake with ketchup, I think I would of thrown up if I saw any cupcake. So, the next best thing is a chocolate muffin. Besides, the only difference between a cupcake a muffin is that cupcakes have more sugar. **_

_**Happy birthday little sis!**_

_**-Adam**_

His words bring a smile to her face as she crumples the note before anyone else got a chance to read it. Her sister definitely found a winner. After looking around for any sign of administration, she sneakily pulls out her phone and texts her thanks to her brother-in-law.

"Everything okay Gabs?"

Her head snaps up as she realizes that she has captured the attention of all of her friends. Hitting SEND hastily, she smiles and slips her phone back into her pocket. "Perfect. I got a muffin," she says with a grin, making them laugh with her cutesy attitude.

"Looks good," Troy comments as he attempts to grab it from her hand. "You planning on sharing it with your wonderful boyfriend?"

Gabriella holds it to her chest and shakes her head from side to side, causing her long braid to hit her boyfriend's shoulder. "Get your own mister," she says as she brushes her loose bangs out of her face. She rolls her dark eyes as he gives her his best puppy dog face. "Fine, just one bite."

"I knew I could get you to do what I want."

"Yeah, yeah," she says nonchalantly as she feigns annoyance.

"Besides Taylor and Chad's fights, you two are our favorite source of entertainment," Claire says on behalf of the table.

Gabriella takes a small bite from her muffin and then passes it to her boyfriend, who kisses her on the cheek in return. Holding a hand over her mouth to block the sight of chocolate on her teeth, she says, "Oh jeez, thanks, I guess."

The truth is that she doesn't mind. She pulls out the rest of her lunch as she happily watches her friends. It was the end of the school year and she really didn't know how the time flew by so quickly. One minute she's spending lunch in the library and the next, she having lunch with the most popular people at East High.

But even if she could go back and do it all differently, she wouldn't change a single thing. She's content with who she has become and who that person had befriended. It doesn't matter that her friends, including Claire, didn't know about her bouts of depression. She wouldn't dare hold it against them that they couldn't see through the mask she had to wear because they care about who she is at the moment.

Gabriella was that girl who lost herself and felt so broken but now? She's that girl who has a reason to smile. Who isn't afraid to cry in the presence of her boyfriend. Who is going to be an aunt in about three months. Who loves her friends. Who fell apart and got back up again. Who has control over her life.

And she smiles despite herself because she realizes that this life of hers was far from over.

* * *

**A/N**: Theoretically, I could end it right here and say my goodbyes. But there's actually a part 2 to my supposed epilogue. This was a good 6,100 words and if I didn't split the supposed last chapter up, that scroll bar at the right of your screen would be _very_ tiny. Been there, done that with my story Her Story and I'm not doing that again. Lol Besides, I'd rather not end my final story on here with the number 23, that's too ironic for me considering that the 23rd is my sis's death anniversary.

Anywho, I hoped you guys enjoyed this and I'll have part 2 posted within the week, it's like 75%-90% done.

Thank you for reading and please review!

Much Love,

Kae xx

p.s. If you're curious, Gabriella's antique ring looks a bit like this (just replace the dots with actual periods =D):  
http:/ecx[DOT]images-amazon[DOT]com/images/I/51sjqCppbiL[DOT]_SL160_[DOT]jpg


	24. Better

**Disclaimer:** I am not affiliated with the HSM franchise in any way, shape or form. Nor do I hold any rights to Willow by Julia Hoban.

**Dedicated to**: **hopelessromanticgurl, **_**xxZZBABEY18xx,**__**Ash207, pumpkinking5, coolio1206, yogaluva, MissIndependentlyPerfect, **_and _**batzmary**_. Thank you again for your sweet reviews! This final chapter is for you guys and everyone else who reads this story. Enjoy!

* * *

"Before I step out, I have to warn you that my scars are kind of visible. If that makes you uncomfortable, you have to tell me now."

"Claire, did you forget who you're talking to?" Gabriella scolds the blonde, who has her head poked out from behind the dressing room's curtain.

"Haha..right. I can tell you anything," Claire says with a small smile as she pushed the curtain aside to reveal her lean body clad in a black and white bikini top with solid black bottoms.

_I should really tell her about mine. _She thinks as she spots them almost instantaneously. The scars. There, as contrasting as the black against her pale skin, lay her scars on her upper thighs and arms. Her scars are fairly thin compared to her own scars. The main difference being the length and varied direction of Claire's cuts.

"I know, not the prettiest sight," Claire says, her gaze dropping to her wrist where a single red rubber band encases her skin.

"Relax, they're practically invisible. "

"You don't have to lie to me. I know how bad they are."

"Claire," she begins, her tone matching the gentle used towards her, "You're still one of the most gorgeous women I know." And it's true. Her beauty wasn't overshadowed by her scars. In truth, the confidence she displayed in that moment made her are all that more beautiful. She thinks about her own scars as she involuntarily frowns. What was holding her back from feeling the same way?

"Everything alright?"

Gabriella snaps out of her trance and realizes that Claire is now standing in front of her in a different swimsuit. "How do you do it?" she blurts out without thinking.

"Do what?"

"It's nothing. I think I like this one better than the last one you tried on," she says, the heat quickly rising to her cheeks. Out of habit, she begins wringing her hands under the careful eye of her friend.

Claire looks at her with a bit of apprehension but decides to let it go. She looks at her appearance in the nearby mirror and makes a face. "It's too pink and sparkly. Too much like Sharpay. Why did I even pick it off rack?"

"Momentary lapse of insanity?" she suggests with a grin, causing the blonde to laugh.

"Yeah, that must of been it."

Gabriella's smile falls as she watches Claire disappear behind the dressing room curtain. That was too close for comfort. It's not that she is afraid to tell her or that she doesn't trust her. She knows that besides Troy, Claire would be the most understanding, But there's something about uttering the words out loud that is difficult for her.

"Okay, what do you think about this one?" Claire asks as she pushes the dressing room's curtain aside and does a quick three-sixty degree turn.

Gabriella's head snaps up and she's met with the sight of her friend dressed in a different swimsuit. "You look great. Then again, you looked great in all of the suits you've tried on. Are you trying to impress a certain someone?" she says with a knowing smile.

A blush makes its way onto the blonde's pale cheeks as she quickly adverts her eyes. "I think that I like the ruffled halter the best. I actually looked like I had boobs with that one," she says with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I think that Ryan would appreciate the cleavage."

The comment catches Claire off guard as she merely stares at the brunette before her with her mouth agape.

"What?"

"Gabriella whatever-your-middle-name-is Montez, I never knew you could be so vulgar."

The brunette simply shrugs, a small smile gracing her lips in response. "Don't pretend that Ryan doesn't play a factor in why you're freaking out over what to wear tonight."

Claire's cheeks turn bright red and so she quickly slips back into the confines. "Is it that obvious?" she asks as she steps out from behind the dressing room curtain in her own clothes and the ruffled swimsuit in hand.

"Not really cuz Ryan's usually nice to everyone bu-"

"Oh jeez, thanks for the voted of confidence, Gabs."

"You didn't let me finish what I was saying. He's nice to everyone but it's different with you. I swear, he spends half of lunch just starring at you."

"Really?"

Gabriella smiles reassuringly as she nods her vigorously. "The only thing is that I think he's too afraid to make the first move. So if you want something to happen between the two of you, then you'll probably have to make the first move."

"I couldn't do that. I'd be too afraid."

"What is there to be afraid of? You like him and he obviously like him. This is the 21st century, dear. A girl asking a guy out isn't that uncommon."

"No, it's not that," Clair trails off as she leads them to a rack of swim shorts. "God, I wish it was just because of that."

"Then what is it?"

"I still have issues that I'm dealing with and I don't really know if I'm ready to share that with Ryan. I mean, with you, I'm comfortable with doing that. But what if it he doesn't understand or feels uncomfortable when I talk about it? Am I suppose to just hide what I'm feeling?" There's an air of franticness that laces her words as she keeps her hands busy with flipping through the various styles of shorts. "I've been there, done that and I'm not falling into that cycle again. Then there's the added fact that I don't know if I can trust him. I know it's Ryan and he isn't exactly a gossiper like his sister. But still! My issues are a big part of me and if I hid that from, it would absolutely destroy me that I can't be honest. If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you be afraid too?" She concludes her rant with her final question directed at Gabriella with all of her attention on her.

_I would be terrified._

Gabriella takes a deep breath as she decides what to tell the blonde in front of her. She could tell her that she's been there with her own relationship. That sometimes, she still fears that Troy will wake up and decide that he wants a girlfriend without so much emotional baggage. She wants to tell her that the risk is well worth it because she found someone that makes an effort to understand everything about her. But first, she needs to share what sparked that fear.

"Claire, before I answer that, there's something that I need to tell you. I probably should of told you this when we first met."

"Uhmm..okay," the blonde says as she sets the board shorts in her hands back onto the rack. She turns to face the petite brunette beside her, giving her undivided attention to her friend. She senses her hesitation and places a comforting hand on her arm. "Is everything okay? You know that you can tell me anything."

"I started cutting a couple of months ago," Gabriella says quietly as she fidgets with the rubber band on her thin wrist. "It started before I even came to East High."

"That's it?" Claire says expectantly, causing Gabriella to look at her with an incredulous look. She rolls her blue eyes and pulls her friend into a quick hug. "Gabriella, I know how hard it is to tell someone that but this is me you're talking to. I would be a hypocrite if I scolded you for being a cutter. Honestly, I can't say that I'm really surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you seemed to really get me when we first met in the girls bathroom. I haven't told many people but they all - more or less - have the same reaction. And instead of looking at me like you're sorry, you looked like you understood. Then, after that day, whenever I would talk about my problems, I always felt like you were holding something back from me. I just got this feeling that you wanted to tell me something but couldn't. I didn't want to pressure you into telling me something that you didn't want me to know. So, I figured that when you're ready, you would tell me."

"Besides Troy, you're my only friend that knows. Actually, you and Troy are the only ones that know my whole story."

"Well, I'm really glad that you feel that you can trust me."

"Since we're putting it all out there, do you mind me asking what your blurb about how I do it was about?"

Gabriella lets out a sigh and looks down at her hands. "It's stupid really. I just couldn't get over how open you were about your scars."

"Is that why you're hesitant about going tonight? The scars?"

"I told you it was stupid. You walk out in nothing but a bikini and your worries are if I'm comfortable. I can't even stand looking at my scars, let alone anyone else looking at them."

"Hun, I think it's different for anyone. When I see mine, I don't think about what might have set me off and caused them. They're kind of like battle scars for me. I can look at them and remind myself how far I've come."

"I can't stand the sight of mine."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Claire says with a warm smile as she hooks her arm with Gabriella's. "I actually have an idea on what we could do. But first, let's find you a swimsuit that'll drive Troy crazy."

Gabriella seems hesitant at first

"About Ryan," she begins softly, capturing Claire's attention, "I think that you should take a risk on him. Yes, it's terrifying to put yourself out there, but it's worth it in the long run. If he can't accept all of you, then he doesn't deserve you and I can't be held responsible for my actions if I kick him in the shins."

Claire laughs. "Why would you kick him?"

"I'm too short to punch him in the face," Gabriella says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, everyone deserves˙someone that makes them happy. If you never take the risk, how would you ever find them?"

"It seems like you know a thing or two about what you're talking about," she teases. "You're really in love with him, aren't you?"

Gabriella falls silent. It had never crossed her mind that she could be in love with him. There was no doubt that she cared about him and would do almost anything in her power to make him happy. But love? No, she couldn't answer that yet. And much to her delight, Claire doesn't wait for a response and is already holding up options for swimsuit attire.

_Thank heavens for her short attention._

_

* * *

_

Gabriella examines her ensemble in the mirror. A black, off-the-shoulder cropped top exposed her red bikini and left little to the imagination. The red board shorts Claire had chosen strategically concealed the scars on her low abdomen, while showcasing her mile-long legs. It was her exposed arms that kept her from looking picture perfect. She saunters back to her bed and digs through the various shopping bags for the tube that Claire claimed would be answer to her prayers.

She plops down on her bed and begins to apply the body foundation onto her left arm, working quickly to blend it well. Like magic, her scars disappear before her eyes and if it weren't for the slight divots in her skin from particularly deep cuts, it's as if they were never there. She eagerly works the same magic on the marred skin of her other forearm. As directed by the sales associate, she waits at least three minutes before dusting her newly even-toned skin with the setting powder.

_The wonders of makeup._ She thinks as she marvels of how normal her arms look. Not use to having her arms so exposed, she slips on the abundance of bangles Claire had bought her. The metal bangles acted as a little barrier between her little secret and the life she's trying to live. They gave her the slightest bit of comfort.

A knocking on her bedroom door, accompanied by her sister's sweet voice, pulls her out of her trance. "You guys can come in," she calls through the door, while busying herself with putting away some of the clothes she had bought earlier.

"You look cute!" her sister exclaims, while Adam says, "Go change!"

Genevieve turns to her husband and shoots him a look. "What did you say?"

"I told her to go change," Adam replies, crossing his arms defiantly and silently challenging her to argue against his command.

"What's wrong with what she's wearing?"

"It shows too much skin."

"For heaven's sake, Adam! It's a pool party! Half the girls will show up in nothing but a swimsuit."

"Well, that's great for them but they're not my little sister or my daughter's aunt. What kind of example would she be to our daughter?"

"Adam," the subject of their conversation says shyly, capturing their attention, "I don't think you have to worry about my dressing habits affecting her until she's older, or at least born."

"That's besides the point."

"Okay, okay. I'll go change if it'll make you feel better."

"Stop right there," Genevieve says before her sister gets a chance to turn away, "you don't have to go change. You look great."

"Thank you, sis," Gabriella says, moving to give her sister a brief hug. "So, did you guys really come up here to approve my outfit?"

"That wasn't our intention at all," Genevieve says quickly, shooting a pointed look at her husband for his confirmation.

Adam scoffs. "That was my intention," he mumbles, earning a hard smack to his chest from his wife. He scowls as he rubs his now sore chest. "I was just being honest!"

"Just give her what you came up here to give her so she can finish getting ready."

He shoots his wife the dirtiest look he could muster before turning to his sister-in-law with a warmer smile. "Did you like your muffin?"

She resists the urge to roll her eyes but can't help the smile that spreads onto her face. "It was delicious. Thank you for sneaking in there."

"No problem. Let's just hope that you like this gift just as much," he says as he extends a small black box towards her. He chuckles a bit as he notes her apprehension. "Go on, take it. It won't bite."

Gabriella stares at the box and then over at her sister. "I already told you that you guys have given me more than enough," she says, a twinge of guilt churning in her stomach.

"But it's your birthday. I'm just doing what I expect to be done when it's my birthday." Adam tries to reason with a cheeky smile.

She laughs a bit and hesitantly reaches for the box. It's light and is about the size of her palm. It could be more jewelry but she can't imagine Adam buying that for her. Glancing up at her sister and brother-in-law once more, only to receive encouraging nods, she then removes the cover of the box to reveal a thin silver object. "A key?" she asks, her head snapping up to meet his amused gaze.

"It's a copy to Gen's car," he explains. "Troy mentioned that you were warming up to driving again, so I figured that you might want a set of keys of your own. Since it's summer, your sister probably won't be driving much. The car's all yours if you want to hang out with your friends or something. We figured that by the time school starts up again, you'd be ready to drive your own car again and we can pick it up from the old house."

Gabriella remains silent as she merely examines the key It's true that she has gotten behind a wheel a few times in the past month but it was never more than just from Troy's house to her own or vice versa. The thought of going any further than that causes her throat to tighten just a little bit. She doubts that she'll be putting it to use any time soon but it's a sweet gesture nonetheless.

"Thank you," she says finally, looking up to offer him a smile. "I don't know if you should be trusting me with your car just ye-"

"Hey now, "Adam begins, "don't sell yourself short. We know that if you weren't ready, you wouldn't of been behind the wheel in the first place. We trust you, Gabs."

Gabriella smiles once more, this one more genuine. "Thank you, both of you," she says, turning her attention briefly to her sister, who's sitting on her bed. "It really means a lot to me."

"No problem, dear," Genevieve says, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her growing belly. Her hand pauses mid stroke and she tilts her head slightly to the left. "Do you hear a knocking?"

"Huh. That must be Troy." Adam says after a long minute of silence to here that there was in fact knocking from downstairs. "I think we'll have a little chat as you finish getting ready."

"What exactly is that chat about?" Gabriella asks him, her eyes widening slightly. Then to no one in particular, she adds, "And why didn't he just ring the doorbell?"

"Oh nothing really big. I never congratulated on his championship game," he says nonchalantly as he back out of the room.

"Where have you been?" her sister asks, sending her an incredulous look. "The doorbell has been broken since last week."

"If he'd use the front door instead of your balcony as entrance, you might of known that," Adam adds, enjoying the flush of embarrassment that graces his sister-in-law's cheek. "Speaking of which, I should probably go answer the door before he decides to enter through your balcony."

"Just don't say anything that'll embarrass me," Gabriella manages to get out as she awkwardly shifts her feet.

"I won't," he says cheekily before quickly exciting the room.

"You're making it extremely hard to believe you!" she calls after him, merely causing him to laugh.

"He's such a hypocrite," Genevieve says with an eye roll. "_He_ was the party animal when we started dating and look at him now."

"I know. My poor niece might become an introvert and spend her high school nights studying."

"Hey now, there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Yeah, I guess that you turned out alright," she teases as she walks back over to the mirror to reevaluate her outfit.

_I actually look pretty good._

"Are you comfortable dressing like that?"

"Why wouldn't it be? Like you said, it is a pool party."

"I know what I said but I also know that as of late, you don't willingly show your arms."

"It's a body foundation that Claire swears by," she explains as she shows off her scarless arms. "It's even water-resistant."

"Wow. I guess you've got it covered. Literally," her sister says with an amused smile. "So, I take it that you're excited about tonight?"

"I'm a bit excited and a bit nervous. God, I don't even remember the last time I went to a party. I think was..." She stops herself from finishing her sentence as she realizes that the last party she went to was where she met Troy and her mother had still been alive.

"What was it?" Genevieve asks, thinking that she just didn't hear her. She then watches as her sister's demeanor seamlessly changes as her dark eyes slam shut. "Oh, the night of the accident."

Gabriella doesn't registers her sister's words. She's too engaged into that very memory that causes a tear to fall down her cheek. It's suddenly too loud as the sound of the crushing of a car and her mother's pitchy screams play in her ear. begin. Her throat tightens as she can practically see the bright light of an oncoming car. The image that comes next cause a second tear to fall. She sees her mother's face with her eyes glazed over and her mouth open slightly as shards of glass cover her.

"Are you sure that you'll be fine going tonight?" her sister asks ever so gently, "Are you okay?" It's the feel of her sister's hand on her shoulder that pulls her from the memory.

The memory is painful. It always is. But it's not something that she can't handle. "I'm fine." she says, her voice wavering for just a second. She swallows the ball of tension forming in her throat before finally looking up at her sister with the smallest of smile. "I'm going to be just fine."

* * *

_This is ridiculous. _Gabriella thinks as she scans the packed room. This is why she hated stereotypical high school parties.

"Hey, are you okay?" Troy practically screams into her ear over the loud music.

She nods, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she leans up to talk into his ear. "I just hope that none of these idiots get behind a wheel."

"You know what," he begins as he leads her back out the door, "I have a better idea."

"What? No," she says, using all of her strength to pull him to a stop. "Our friends are waiting for us in there and this is like tradition for you guys."

"Then we'll start a new tradition. Just me and you."

"Troy," she scolds, drawing out the vowel in his name. "You really don't have to do this because of me."

"But that's exactly why I'm doing it. You've been doing so well, I just don't want to bring up any bad memories for you. Besides, there's a place I want to share with you."

Gabriella can't resist his sincere smile and the charming way he holds his hand out for her to take. Without hesitation, she slips her hand into his and follows him back to his truck. She looks over her shoulder at the craziness she's leaving behind. Could she take being around a couple of drunks and not think about the drunkard that tossed her world out of rotation? Maybe, but she's thankful to Troy for not letting her risk it.

"Where are we going?" she asks almost 15 minutes into the drive. It could be just because of the night, but the landscape blurring by her window looks far from familiar.

"What did I say the last 4 times you asked me that?"

"That I would just have to wait and see," she says with a bit of a huff, earning a laugh from her significant other.

"You're so damn impatient."

"I know, it's one of my many flaws."

"Wrong. It's your only flaw because you're perfect just the way you are."

_Always the smooth talker._

She rolls her eyes as she glances sideways to see his smirking figure. She plays it off like she isn't affected by his words. That she doesn't just about faint when ever he says his cheesy lines. But the truth is that butterflies erupt in her stomach and sometimes it feels like she's floating. And she can't help but wonder, how did she ever get so lucky?

"We're here," Troy announces as he comes to a stop in front of a dimly lit house. The house was clearly only one story with a small front yard and a single car garage.

"And where exactly is here?" she asks as she props open her door and slips out.

"Es la casa de Bolton."

"I don't get it."

"Didn't you take like five years of Spanish? I said that this is the-"

"Bolton house," she finishes for him with a slight glare of annoyances. "I meant. what do you mean this is your house? Cause I can walk to your house virtually half asleep and I can assure you that this isn't your house."

"Well, this is my other house," he says somewhat shyly as he reaches into the bed of his truck and pulls out a picnic basket and a pizza box. "As in my dad's old house," he says as he comes stand beside her and simply watches her as her gaze never leaves the house.

Gabriella freezes as she processes what he's telling her. The topic of his father was always felt like a taboo to her. She knows that he still miss him and he honors his memory every chances he gets. She can sense his pain every time he brought him up but at the same time, he handles it with such grace. He can hold his head up high and tell her how his father did this or that. And she knows that aside from tree house, this was his other safe haven.

"I'm sorry, this doesn't freak you out, does it?"

"What?" she squeaks, whipping her head in his direction. "Of course not. Why would you even think that?"

"I don't know if it freaks you out knowing that this was where my dad died."

"It doesn't," she says softly as she places a hand on his forum, feeling the ripple of his muscles under the weight of the picnic basket.

Troy smiles down at her before inching down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Ready to see the house?"

She nods wholeheartedly as she takes the pizza box out of his hand and links their hands together. If it were possible, her smile grows even larger as he brings their linked hands to his lips. Silently following him, they make their way up the path to the house, which only has the porch light lit. She frees the picnic basket from his hands as he slips the key in to the brass knob.

"Welcome," he says with a final shove to the door and quick flip of the switch to turn on the lights. "Sorry it's a bit stuffy."

"No, no. It's fine," she says quickly, walking further into the house. The walls are a soft shade of green, illuminated by the small chandelier that hangs above them. A living room and dinning room is set up to her left and the hallway branches off, leaving her to believe that the house wasn't very big. "The house is so cute. You did the flooring, right?" she asks, lifting her gaze from the hardwood floor to look back at him for confirmation.

He nods rather modestly as he gestures for her to follow him and says, "Let's set this down in the family room and then I can give you the grand tour." He leads her to the end of the hall, flicking on the lights as they went to reveal a decent sized kitchen with a breakfast nook at the farthest end. Rounding the corner, he flips a final switch to turn on the lights and ceiling fan.

"An air mattress?" she questions as it's the first thing she notices in the center of the room. Her eyebrow arches upward as she waits for Troy to explain.

"Hey now, don't get the wrong idea," he says quickly as he avoids her gaze and sets their items besides the object of his girlfriend's scrutiny. "That's from when I slept here last week after getting done with one of the bedrooms really late. It's easier than trying to move the couch back in here."

"But you managed to drag the T.V. back in here?"

He chuckles as he takes the pizza box from her hands and sets it by the rest of their things. "That's the first thing Chad helped me move back in when I roped into helping me last week. That and my gaming system," he says, causing her to roll her dark eyes.

_Why am I not surprise?_

"C'mon, there'll be time to scold me about my priorities later. I'll give you the grand tour," Troy says, as he entwines their hands. He leads out to the main hall and points out all of the rooms they had already pass before crossing and entering a more narrow hallway. "This is the guest room, my room, and the bathroom," he says, pointing out each room and then adds," Okay, so it wasn't that grand."

She laughs but then notices the lone door at the end of the hallway. "What's that over there?" she asks, noting his apprehension as his free hand raises to scratch the back of his neck.

"Oh, thats uhmm...it's - was - my dads room."

"I'm sorry," she says automatically and then scolds herself silently for asking her next question out loud. "Does it still hurt to go in there?"

"Not really. I've given so many tours that I'm pretty much immune to it. But I didn't know if you wanted to see it. I just didn't want it to be awkward. Considering that's where-"

Fully aware of what he's about to say, she cuts him off with a kiss. "I get it," she mumbles against his lips. Her mind drifts back to her conversation with Claire earlier about holding yourself back. Pulling back, she says, "And I don't ever what you to feel like you have to hold anything back because you're afraid of my reaction. I most certainly don't hold back from you."

"I've never felt that way," Troy says with a smile as he brings his hand to rest on her cheek, stroking it affectionately with his thumb. "But it's nice to hear you reaffirm that belief." He kisses her once more before pulling out into the hallway with claims that the pizza would get cold.

Moments later, they're making themselves comfortable on the air mattress as 'The Parent Trap' provides the background music to their makeshift picnic of her favorite foods: pineapple and ham pizza and chocolate covered strawberries, the only chocolate covered thing she'll eat. Conversation remains light as they simply enjoy each other's company.

"Okay, I have one more surprise for you," Troy says as he pulls out a small white paper bag from the picnic basket.

"You really didn't have to. You've already given me more than enough-Is what I think it is in that bag?" Gabriella cuts herself off with her own question as her eyes light up as she catches sight of the familiar logo against the white paper.

"Kourambiethes?" he says, amused by the sudden excitement in her eyes. "I don't know. Maybe you should open it and find out."

She reaches into the bag, expecting to find her favorite Greek butter cookies but instead, her eyebrows furrow as she touches something more stiff.

"Happy birthday," he says with a wide grin as she pulls out a black jewelry box.

"H-How did you know?" she stutters, once she remembers how to talk.

"I walked in on Adam writing your lunch message this morning and he kind of spilled your big secret."

"Oh," Gabriella mutters rather lamely as her gaze drops. "I don't know what to say," she admits as she stares at the third jewelry box that she has encountered today. Granted, only one of the previous two had been jewelry but it still made her nervous nonetheless.

"You don't have to say anything just yet. Open it first, then tell me that you like it," he says smartly, as he shifts closer to her.

She obliges, more nervous about opening this box than the rest. A gasp slips from her mouth as she spies a simple, yet beautiful rope chain necklace nestled in the box. Lifting the silver chain out of the box, she's surprised to see three silver circles threaded through their centers. Looking carefully, she realizes that on the flat surface of each circle is a single word in a bold letters. She reads each of the circles: Daughter, Sister and Friend.

"I would of put 'Girlfriend' instead of 'Friend' but they didn't exactly have a pendant for that," he jokes nervously as he awaits her final verdict. "They're called Infinity Circles," he explains a bit more serious tone. "They suppose to symbolize a continuos trait that the wearer has that never ends. Hence the name."

Gabriella doesn't know exactly what happened but before she knows it, she's on Troy's lap as she cries her eyes out into the crook of his neck. Maybe the day is finally taking it's toll on her? Regardless to the reason behind it, he doesn't miss a beat as he does his best to calm her by whispering words of comfort and gently rubbing circles on her back. Minutes pass before her crying is reduced to slight hiccups.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know why I was crying that hard. So much for being strong, huh?" she says with a teary eyed smile.

Troy leans back so that he could see her tear-stained face. He cups her cheek gently and swipes away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. "Sure," he begins gently, "you cried but that doesn't make you weak. You're bouncing back and I love you for that."

"You what?" she asks as she pulls back, her dark brown eyes the size of saucers.

He takes a deep breath, smiling softly while reaching up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear and then cupping her cheek again. "I love you. I know, it sounds crazy considering that we've been dating for barely two months. But I just know that there will never be anyone who can make me feel like you do."

She knows what she should say- what he wants to hear. But the words seem to catch in her throat as she drowns in his sincere eyes. Maybe its because she doesn't even know how to describe her own feeling towards him. Admiration, care, happiness, even lust. But love? She wasn't too sure about that. Though, she won't deny that hearing those three little words leave his lips made her heart feel like it would explode.

So she does the next best thing: she kisses him. After all, actions speak louder than words, especially in the case of Gabriella Montez.

She presses her lips to his lips slowly, as if testing his reaction. When he kisses her back, her hands snake around his neck to press him closer to her. Unsatisfied with their current position, she breaks their kiss for only a moment so that she could straddle his hips as she slips her black crop top over her head and casts it aside before bending down to meet his lips.

Giving him the slightest shove, he falls back onto the air mattress. She nibbles at his lower lip and when he moans from her ministrations, she takes the opportunity to slips her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth. Their tongues duel for dominance but she's quick to surrender. Under these circumstances. she didn't particularly mind loosing control.

He flips them over, taking pleasure in how she felt under him. His lips begin their descend to the column of her neck, reaching all the way to the cleavage shown by her red bikini and back up again. A moan slips from her lips as he bites down on a particularly sensitive part of her neck. He can feel her hands slide down from his hair to down the front of his shirt and so he brakes the kiss for only a second to pull his white shirt over his head.

Missing the warmth of his mouth, she quickly pulls him back to her as her hands trace the defined muscles of his back. She involuntary shudders as his hands seem to be tracing every curve of her body. Her self-consciousness of her scars are long forgotten as his hand inch closer to the drawstrings on her swim shorts. But just as he finished pulling the bow, his whole body seems to freeze.

Troy pulls away suddenly, relinquishing all physical contact from her. He's slightly out of breath as he scoots over to the edge of the bed and puts his head in his hands. He can feel her straggled breath on the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he says as soon as his breathing evens out.

"For what?" she asks as she carefully places her hands on his bare shoulder blades.

"I took advantage of you."

Gabriella lets out a small laugh in hopes to ease the surrounding tension. "Took advantage? I'm the one that kissed you!"

"Yeah, but you're pretty emotionally right now."

"I'm emotional all the time," she argues with a smile but then her face falls as something crosses her mind. "Oh God. I'm such an idiot," she says as she scrambles away from him to reach for her shirt. "Clearly you don't want me in that way and I-"

"Wait a minute," he says, reaching for her bare waist and pulling her back to him. "Why would you even think that? You're absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. I understand why Adam gave me the third degree when I came to pick you up. You look especially sexy tonight."

"Then why don't you want to?"

"I want to. Believe me, as a teenage male, I want to. It's just that, maybe now isn't the right time. A lot has happened today, like the fact that you were crying your eyes out a little bit over an hour ago. You're probably not thinking straight and I don't want you to regret it. Brie, it's-"

"No. Just don't say anything or I might embarrass myself further," she says as she drops her head into the crook of his neck to hide her reddened cheeks. She stays still in his arms, as if the moment would pass on its own. Gabriella's annoyed that he's telling her how she feels but more than anything, she's embarrassed by her forwardness.

"You're adorable," Troy mumbles, his lips grazing the side of her head.

"Not helping."

He chuckles lowly. "I love you," he whispers, tightening his arms around her bare waist.

Gabriella can't get herself to echo those words and she can only hope that he understood. She feels something for him- something frightening and wonderful at the same time. And the thought crosses her mind that maybe those three words just didn't cover everything. So she settles for two words that embodies her emotions at this moment. "Thank you," she mumbles against his neck, leaving a lingering kiss.

She's eternally grateful for his patience and kindness and for loving her. She knows that as magical as those three words are, they haven't solved everything. The truth of the matter is that love doesn't conquer all. Wether she acknowledged it or not, she had the love of her sister and her brother-in-law and she still broke down from her grief. And in addition to that? She now knows she has the love of her boyfriend, who she knows would do anything to make her happy.

She also realizes that she fell apart and for the months following her mother's death, she had considered herself broken. And while it's been 58 days since she last harmed herself, she can't deny that she is still tempted by the promises of her steel companion. Exactly where does she draw her strength to say 'no' every time? She'd like to say it's because of her inner strength but she knows that it's fueled by none other than by the love of her boyfriend.

Gabriella can't say what will happen to her should he ever leave, but she doesn't want think about that right now. All she wants right now is to bask in this moment where someone as wonderful and selfless as Troy admitted to loving her. It's all the reassurance she needs to keep trudging through her grief and truly move on with her life. She just needs to take things one step at a time and with him by her side, she knew that anything was possible.

She takes her first step.

"I love you too," she whispers so quietly that she doubts he heard her but then his arms tighten around her and her eyes drift shut as he presses his lips to the top of her head.

Love may not conquer all but it most definitely helped make this life of hers just a bit better.

* * *

**A/N:** I can't believe that this story is done and I can officially change its status from 'In-Progress' to 'Complete'. As much as I love writing and the HSM FanFic community, this may or may not be my final story on here. I'm toying with the idea of doing a sort of drabble series but so far it's just an idea, nothing more.

Writing is the first thing in my life that I had complete control of and it is the only true form expression I have. This was a decision I made about a month or two ago when I stopped loving to write. Maybe my passion for writing died a long with my little sister. I really don't know but I loved every moment on here and I'm thankful for all the wonderful friends I made because of FanFic.

You guys have no idea how happy the reviews I've received over the years have made me. I would have some pretty bad days but I'd read a review and it was a virtual stranger complementing me. Seriously, you don't know how much that meant to me that there was something that I was doing right and I made people happy. So, I thank you for your kind reviews and all the time you've spent reading my stories.

Oh, gosh..I feel like I'm going to cry now. lol Damn, my sentimental-ness.  
And for one last time on FanFic, I hope you enjoyed this and please review!  
I'm not one to really beg for reviews but if we can get the review count to 240, that would at least me feel like I ended on here on a high note. :D

Thank you,  
Kae xx

p.s. Happy New Year! haha..I almost forgot about that. Stay safe and may the new year bring you happiness.


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